1994 Pt. 1

AN: I would recommend reading the notes at the bottom of the page if have read my other HP fic.

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"Do not act as if you were going to live ten thousand years. Death hangs over you. While you live, while it is in your power, be good." – Marcus Aurelius

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[September 11, 1994.]

[Great Hall, Hogwarts Castle.]

The great hall bustled with activity as the students of Hogwarts chattered. Their conversations ranged from raunchy jokes about busty classmates to deep discussions about magical theory. In some places within the hall, these conversations were raunchy jokes wrapped neatly into discussions about magical theory.

All in all, it was a normal day for a school filled with teenagers.

The chattering continued for some time until screeches were heard across the hall. Letters from family, orders catalogues from shops and paper media were carried by magical owls who dropped them to the recipients of their deliveries.

Among these owls was an anomaly– an ethereal bird with white feathers flew through the hall towards its own target. It carried a small bundle in its talons as it gently glided before landing on the Hufflepuff table in front of its target.

"Dreamwind!" Niklaus Grey, sixth-year Hufflepuff, greeted the Caladrius that his brother had raised since it was a chick. 

The bird gave an amused chirp before hopping towards Niklaus. 

Niklaus pushed aside the plate of food that he had been eating and slowly extended his arm forward. He did not wish to touch the magical creature because he had taken a potion brewed by his brother just before breakfast and the Caladrius had the ability to soak in any unnatural modifications to the creatures it touched.

The string tying the small brown package to the bird slowly unravelled itself before slowly floating into Niklaus' waiting hand. Just as that happened, a sizable piece of bacon floated from Niklaus' plate into Dreamwind's open mouth.

Niklaus waited for Dreamwind to finish eating before he summoned a jug of water from the centre of the table and poured some for the bird in a cup that the castle elves had placed there to feed the owls.

As the magical beast drank its fill, Niklaus slowly unwrapped the package and fished out a small purse and an envelope. Niklaus quickly opened the letter and started reading it in silence.

'Nik,

I would like to tell you with great pleasure that my hair growth gel has been a massive success after merely seven days of being on the shelves. The nutritional supplement powder, eye drops and blood sugar syrup have, as of yet, not seen any great sales.

Mom and dad, while a little worried about government (mundane or otherwise) and media intervention, are also immensely happy for both me and you. They have also started to look into the purchase of house elves who I will personally be training for the pharmaceuticals. We need to set-up assembly line type of manufacturing if we want any sizable production. Your unwillingness to involve anybody other than me when it comes to our intellectual property has ruffled mother's feathers. Especially when I told her that you have refused to get her family involved. Expect a letter berating you about trusting family soon. Honestly why she bothers with those hyenas is beyond me. Fucking bigots.

Anyways, materials have not been a problem thanks to the runic extractors and dilution machines alongside me using ingredients that can be sourced in massive quantities from the non-magical world. The magical ingredients like rhino horns are a bit more difficult but I have been looking into making more mundanely available replacements. Fingers crossed on that one.

I also need your help with enchanting some more tools. (The list for that is in the bag of holding. Get it done quickly and send it over when Dreamwind visits next.) 

Moving on from my business, how is your attempt at creating the Demon's coin going? Dad's idea is a good one at least in theory just like his cell concept. It can be a joint study with both of us. Though for that you will have to get free from Hogwarts first. How about an experiment or two to test viability during Christmas?

Do you think you can visit this time? The only time we see each other is during Christmas and while mom doesn't say anything when you are here, she misses you just like dad.

Hope you can visit.

Yours truly,

the good-looking one.

PS– There is chocolate in the bag for any excuses you might wish to make.'

Niklaus neatly folded the letter back before putting it back in the envelope and pocketing it.

He looked at the caladrius who seemed to have finished drinking and was now looking at him in inquiry.

"You can fly back Dreamwind. I will send a reply the next time you bring in a batch of my medicinal potions."

The bird gave a chirp before giving a mighty push from his wings and taking to the air to fly away back to his brother.

As the bird flew away, Niklaus returned to his food. He ate quietly even as he went over the content of the letter his brother had sent him.

Sixteen years– that is how long it had been since Niklaus had woken up in this world. A world that he had seen through a screen in his previous life. The phantom excitement, hurt and fear– Niklaus could remember it all vividly. Being reborn in a fantasy world after being murdered in a carjacking gone wrong had been both horrifying and relieving. He had lost his life but he had not ceased existing. It had taken a lot of reflection and time to ease the anger and pain at the unfairness of his situation but eventually, all that shifted to excitement and fear.

The Wizarding World was not a safe place, but it was definitely a place that had immense potential for a person to grow strong and happy. Being born as the half-blood son of a witch had been a blessing. 

Niklaus had been blessed with the ability to break the laws of the universe at his whims and he had not wasted it. He had started studying magic at the age of six and actually started practising it at the age of eleven. 

As the years passed and by the time he had turned fifteen, Niklaus had already mastered the art of transfiguration to the point he was confident in fighting McGonagall on an even footing. He had no chances of beating her using only transfiguration, but his skill with it was adequate. His knowledge of charms and curses was also adequate to place him as a fairly good duelist. Definitely not at the level of defeating Flitwick.

Niklaus's extensive use of magic allowed him to amass the strength to fight Voldemort and Dumbledore on level ground but he still lacked time. There was simply no way to bridge the gap of half a century of using and learning magic within ten years. His adult mind had given him an advantage, but he needed more.

So even before he had finished the full curriculum of Hogwarts in his favoured subjects, Niklaus had started crafting spells and trinkets using his knowledge of Arithmancy and Runes. Branches of magic that he had been learning since he was six. He had begun his journey with them and they had become the core of his strategy for the coming war.

His thoughts about his plans for the war and the actions he had been taking to prepare for it were interrupted when someone tapped his shoulder, prompting him to turn around.

Colin Creevey stood there, fiddling with that old camera of his nervously. Niklaus raised an amused eyebrow at the boy's shyness before he asked, "Creevey, need something?"

The boy blushed in embarrassment before replying with a quick, short nod of affirmation.

Niklaus gave the boy a teasing smile and said, "I can't read your mind Creevey. You need to tell me what you need."

"The club you are starting– will you teach magic too? I heard you got the highest score in transfiguration and charms OWLs in the last hundred years. Thought maybe you will be teaching some magic too."

Niklaus frowned, he had seen this question coming up. His magical abilities were well known. His public use of the Patronus charm to ward off dementors the previous year had earned him the respect of a lot of people but it had alerted almost all of them to the extent of his ability. Since then, he had received the attention of people wanting private tutoring from him. 

He occasionally gave people a pointer if he was feeling like it but had refused all of the ones that wanted tutoring. He was not starved for money and had no plans of teaching to anybody before he killed Voldemort. Even this club that he was setting up was a way to find some people that would make his remaining time at Hogwarts more useful towards fulfilling the promise he had made to himself all those years ago. 

"I might teach a few magical spells that might be useful but the club is more focused on contemporary history. Recent history of events that shaped the wizarding world as we see today."

Creevey looked disappointed with the answer before he grew curious again and asked, "So will you teach us about You-Know-Who too?"

Niklaus gave the boy a frown. It was annoying how people never say the name and gave the Taboo the ability to truly act as a beacon. A whisper in a quiet hall was easier to hear than millions of whispers in a hall.

"I will be teaching about Lord Voldemort's rise and fall, yes. In fact, that is the first thing I will cover. If you want to learn about him then you can come too."

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[Author Notes]:

I started this fic after I stopped writing Ode to Nothingness. I really liked that fic but I realized as I wrote more and more that I wasn't telling a story with that fic. It felt like I was just trying to create a cool character that had no motivations for what he was doing other than the fact that he was trying to gain power. It felt like I was writing something without any stakes or goals.

I wanted to write a story with an overpowered character but I also wanted to do that character and the story right (Maybe it is my perfectionist nature when it comes to writing but I wanted it to be just right). 

Thus a tale of two brothers was born. I wanted the characters to feel real and the dialogue to be more dynamic than OTN. Niklaus Grey as I imagine will be an overpowered character who will be trying to balance things that he can't really solve by applying power with things that need the brutal execution of his magical ability.

If you do like the story please gimme powerstones.

And if you want early access, find me on Patreon. Use the link: Patreon.com/dukeofvirtue