Location: Carriage One ->> the Seventh Floor - Dumbledore's Office
Magic: Pocket Sneakoscope, Care for Magical Creatures
"I didn't get into any trouble - I mean, not much trouble," she shrugged.
"Flame here made a rat explode on me, I s'pose that counts." She glanced over at Zelda, smirking to see that she was still bright red. Maybe this would be the year that Zelda would fess up about her crush on her fellow Ravenclaw chaser.
"Maybe Dumbledore's just finally gone straight up barmy. It'd explain a lot. Fairly certain the bloke's so ancient he taught most of our professors how to wave a wand." Paige's spirits dimmed as Fae got into the carriage, taking the last remaining empty seat - right next to her.
"How do you deal with her, Mads? Don't you ever want to just hit a bludger at her face?" Paige asked Madalyne, clearly talking about Fae.
A moment later, Professor McGonagall leaned into the carriage through the open door, though her attention was focused on Madalyne. McGonagall was Madalyne's Head of House and had been the one to promote her to the status of Gryffindor Prefect, making it logical for the fierce professor to entrust her above the others to remember this key bit of information. "The password for the Headmaster's office is
Apple Whip," McGonagall said. "Do not dally and go immediately to his office once you arrive at the school." McGonagall then stepped away from the carriage, shutting the door before walking back to the Knight Bus to assist the other students.
The carriage ride was fairly brief,
Hogwarts Castle almost instantly coming into view. They had arrived far faster than usual, with the sun still shining its rays down on the magnificent series of towers, turrets, and chambers. There was a splash in the Black Lake, possibly caused by the Giant Squid or a merperson coming up to take a look. Of course, it was relatively quiet aside from the hoots of owls or the wind whistling through the trees of the Forbidden Forest.
The carriages stopped in front of the Entrance Hall. Paige opened up the door and climbed on out. She was still in her muggle clothes, as they hadn't had a chance to change - but everyone else was pretty much in the same boat. They were about three hours early, so she figured they'd have plenty of time to change before the Start of Term Feast, providing Dumbledore didn't randomly expel them all and then award 150 points to Gryffindor for some random act of bravery. Her pocket sneakoscope was still silent, something that made her believe that it had to be defective, as Apollo and his gang were just about ten feet behind her in the other carriage.
Paige walked in through the giant entrance hall doors and made her way to the grand staircase. Pictures covered just about every inch of the walls, running about and chatting excitedly. A few of them would go -
"Oi, where are your bloody robes?!" whereas others, somehow already aware of the events on the train, looked at the students with sympathy. It was a lengthy climb, as the entrance to Dumbledore's office was on the seventh floor of the school. Paige's legs ached slightly from the extensive hike as they finally reached the stone gargoyle that guarded the entrance to Dumbledore's office.
She cleared her voice.
"Apple Whip!" The password activated the enchantment as the gargoyle began to rotate, revealing a set of spiral stone stairs that ascended upwards. She glanced at her friends, Madalyne and Zelda, and did her best to put a brave smile on her face. She was ignoring everyone else there.
"It was nice knowing you all," she said jokingly, before climbing the staircase.
Finally, after all of that traveling from King's Cross, they were in front of Professor Dumbledore. His
office was rather grand, the walls covered in dusty tomes written in about every language known to man and more than a few that had been lost to time. Various instruments of unknown purpose were on pedestals all about the room. A magnificent
phoenix peered at the group curiously from its perch.
Headmaster Dumbledore wore elegant, jewel encrusted ruby robes. He smiled kindly at the group as they assembled, gesturing to nine plain stools in front of his desk. "Please, take a seat. Would anyone care for a licorice snap?" he offered, picking up a bowl filled with black wizarding sweets. Unlike the muggle version, these ones attempted to bite anyone who tried to eat them.
"Erm, I'm good, thanks," Paige said, as she took a seat in the middle, right in front of Dumbledore. There were four stools left to either side of her. This entire set up was making her uncomfortable, especially as the phoenix looked rather old. Phoenixes tended to burst into flames and die near the end of their lifespan, and while they were reborn from the ashes as a baby, the thought of Dumbledore's bird dying while they were in here was unsettling.
Dumbledore set down the dish of sweets at the side of his desk nearest to the students, before taking a seat in his chair. It looked more like a throne than something a teacher would use. "I am quite certain you are all curious as to why I have called you here... I would like you all to become the inaugural class of the Scamander Society. Each of you have been selected due to your unique and extraordinary abilities. I would like to guide you and teach you to use them for the greater good."
Paige raised an eyebrow. This sounded like a cult to her. The name
Scamander was achingly familiar as well - he was a famous magizoologist, the author of
Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them.
"Professor? What is the greater good, exactly?" she inquired.
"An apt question, Miss Atwell," Dumbledore acknowledged. "Since the fall of Lord Voldemort, his Death Eaters have been seeking new leadership. The Ministry of Magic refuses to acknowledge the formation of a new sect called the Basilisk Guild. It is my hope that the Scamander Society can be a tool to prevent a new threat from fully emerging, as well as impart my knowledge gained from both Voldemort and Grindewald onto the next generation of witches and wizards... I understand that more than a few of you are interested in careers as aurors or curse-breakers. I would be more than happy to write letters on your behalf."
"...Wait, so first off, we're not in trouble - and second, you want us to join some secret group to fight You-Know-Who's forces?" Paige summarized.
"Indeed, Miss Atwell - and as you currently surmised, the Scamander Society is secret. You may not discuss it with your fellow classmates, friends, or even teachers. To the rest of the school, us ten will simply be meeting twice each week for an elective course I am teaching -
History of the Dark Arts."
Her eyes were positively sparkling. She didn't even think about how her parents would feel about her joining a secret club run by Dumbledore. Not only was he essentially saying that she was talented and worthy of being picked for something like this, but he had also offered to write her a letter of recommendation. That could be the key to opening the door to her dream job at Gringotts as a curse breaker. She immediately took back everything she had said earlier about Dumbledore going a bit senile.
"That's so rad. I'm in."
Achronum
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