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#52 WSWW
🕑 Added 2025-03-23 15:52:00 +0000 UTCI don't know where he got the news, but somehow, Malfoy found out that Ted and Ron were staying at Hogwarts over Christmas.
Before a Potions class where all four houses were gathered, he made sure to spread the word, smirking as he turned to Goyle.
"I really feel sorry for those poor souls..." he said, his voice dripping with mock sympathy. He wiped an imaginary tear from his eye, exaggerating the motion. "They had to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because their families didn’t want them!"
His smug expression made it clear he was expecting laughter or agreement, but Ted wasn’t in the mood to let it slide.
"Oh, you mean like how our dear young master Malfoy gets to run home to his mummy? Crying about getting his face bruised at school and how he was too much of a coward to show up for a duel? Maybe she'll give him a pacifier to help him feel better!"
Ron and Jerry immediately burst into loud, exaggerated laughter, clutching their sides and slapping their knees. Even Neville chuckled, while Harley crossed her arms and smirked. Hermione, however, sighed in exasperation, rubbing her temples at yet another brewing confrontation.
Malfoy turned red in an instant. His moment of superiority was slipping through his fingers, and his anger boiled over. He lunged at Ron, and just like that, another corridor brawl broke out.
Unfortunately for Malfoy, even with his two usual lackeys, he was still outnumbered. By the time it was over, he had a fresh black eye and had to be half-dragged away by Crabbe and Goyle.
Jerry winced as he rubbed his foot, muttering, "Kicking him probably wasn't the best idea. My toes hurt."
Ron, sporting a slightly swollen lip, grinned triumphantly. "Worth it."
Harley placed her hands on her hips, looking very pleased, while Neville gave an awkward but satisfied smile.
It was moments like these that made Ted remember—he might have all this magical knowledge in his head, but he was still just a twelve-year-old kid. And sometimes, messing around with friends felt great.
Of course, Malfoy wasn’t one to take a loss quietly. He immediately ran to Snape to tattle.
Even though Hermione had stayed out of it completely, Snape still took twenty points from Ravenclaw just because Ted was involved.
As for Gryffindor, Malfoy's black eye earned them a hefty thirty-point deduction, despite the fact that Harley had been the one to land the punch.
Snape being biased? Shocking.
As Christmas approached, Ron and Neville both wrote home, mentioning Ted and Jerry, who had no families to visit.
Neville’s grandmother responded with rare approval, praising him for befriending a talented young wizard.
"If you think he has noble character and you are like-minded, don’t worry about what kind of ears he has," she wrote, referring to Jerry’s rat-like features.
Ron's mother, Molly, sent back a letter full of warmth and sympathy, welcoming them to visit the Burrow anytime.
With Christmas only a day away, the castle was abuzz with activity. Students going home were packing frantically, especially the first-years, eager to reunite with their families after their first long stretch away from home.
Ted stepped outside the Great Hall and spotted Hagrid hauling four or five small pine trees toward the castle. Every year, Hagrid decorated the Great Hall with grand Christmas trees.
Grinning, Ted flicked his wand and used a Levitation Charm to help carry the trees.
Hagrid, delighted, swung a tree around with one hand like it was nothing. "Ted! This thing is easier to swing than a ruddy troll club!"
Ted and his friends wisely took a few steps back. No one wanted to be on the receiving end of that accidental swing.
While they were laughing, Malfoy slithered back into sight, loitering nearby with his usual shadows, Crabbe and Goyle.
With a smug grin, he muttered just loud enough to be heard, "I guess some people are working as gatekeepers now. Maybe they need a little extra pocket money for Christmas."
Ted sighed. This kid just didn’t know when to quit.
Hermione was about to retort, and Ron was already cracking his knuckles, but Ted stopped them. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Filch skulking in the shadows, clearly waiting for an excuse to punish them.
Instead of a direct confrontation, Ted casually stepped behind a corner, pulled something from his pocket, and chucked it at Malfoy’s head.
"Ow!" Malfoy yelped, clutching his head and spinning around. "Who did that?!"
Hermione looked curiously at Ted. "What did you throw?"
Ted opened his palm to reveal a rock-hard rock cake.
Harley stared. "You kept one of Hagrid’s rock cakes?"
Ted smirked. "I knew it’d come in handy someday."
The next morning, with the crisp winter air misting around them, Ted and his friends stood at the school’s entrance, waving goodbye to Hermione and Harley as they left for the holidays.
First-years had arrived by boat, but they left through the grand gates, traveling in the Thestral-drawn carriages.
Most of his friends couldn’t see the creatures pulling the carriages and simply accepted that they moved by magic.
But Ted could see them.
The skeletal, leathery-winged creatures were eerily beautiful in their own way, their pale eyes unreadable yet strangely kind.
That made Ted pause.
Seeing Thestrals meant he had witnessed death firsthand. But he couldn’t recall such a moment in this life.
'Was it something from before I arrived in this world?' he wondered, a strange chill running down his spine.
'Or is it because I saw myself die?'
...
Ted waved goodbye to Hermione and the others, watching as their carriage disappeared into the distance.
They would pass through the road outside Hogsmeade Village, board the Hogwarts Express at Hogsmeade Station, and head home for the holidays.
The day before their departure, two Ministry of Magic officials had visited the school, bringing a stack of parchment for all first-years to sign.
The document was labeled "Regulations on the Use of Magic by Underage Wizards Outside School," but Ted could feel the magic woven into it. It wasn’t just a standard legal form—it was a contract.
As soon as he signed, he felt a faint trace of magic wrap around his wand before fading away.
Later, when he asked Professor McGonagall about it, she confirmed his suspicion: the contract placed a monitoring charm on the wand.
If magic was cast nearby, the Ministry would be alerted. However, it couldn’t detect who had performed the spell, just that magic had been used.
This meant wizarding families were essentially exempt. If a spell was cast in a household full of wizards, there was no way to pinpoint whether it was an adult or a child breaking the rule.
Diagon Alley and other wizarding communities had similar loopholes. In reality, the restriction mostly applied to Muggle-born students and those from non-magical backgrounds.
With Christmas break officially underway, the atmosphere at Hogwarts shifted. The school felt emptier, quieter—except for the students who had stayed behind, who were now free to run wild.
Without Neville around to push them, Ron and Jerry quickly abandoned their morning jogging routine, claiming their legs deserved a holiday too. The library? Absolutely not.
Studying was banned for Christmas, according to them. If anyone even mentioned the library, they’d get the cold shoulder.
Naturally, Ted ignored them and went to the library anyway.
On one hand, he wanted to deepen his knowledge of spells. On the other, he was on the lookout for any information related to the ancient mental magic said to have been developed by Rowena Ravenclaw herself.
Hogwarts had the largest magical library in Great Britain, with over a hundred thousand books spread across towering bookshelves. Yet, after hours of searching—even glancing at the Restricted Section from a safe distance—he found nothing useful.
It was disappointing, but not surprising. If the magic was that powerful, it made sense that no one had managed to replicate Ravenclaw’s work after all these centuries.
The founders of Hogwarts had been magical titans in their own right, pushing the limits of wizardry in ways few could match.
The passage of time had seen many advancements in the magical world, but just as much knowledge had been lost. Ancient magic was now more myth than reality, and runes—once a cornerstone of magical study—had been relegated to an obscure elective.
Ted sighed. If he wanted answers, he would have to dig deeper. But how?
One day, while poring over a book in the library, two figures suddenly sat across from him.
Looking up, he found himself staring at a pair of identical faces.
Not Fred and George Weasley—those two only came to the library when absolutely necessary. No, these were two different twins: Parvati Patil and Padma Patil.
Parvati, a Gryffindor, shared a dorm with Hermione, while her sister Padma belonged to Ravenclaw. They were strikingly beautiful, with long black hair and sharp eyes that gleamed with curiosity.
Unlike the film’s portrayal, where they had been given darker complexions for the sake of "accuracy," in reality, their skin was fair—evidence of their high-caste heritage.
"Hey, Ted," Padma greeted, giving him a small wave, while Parvati simply nodded in acknowledgment.
Ted had built a decent reputation among the first-years. Between earning house points across different houses, openly challenging Snape’s nonsense, and his knack for getting away with things most students wouldn’t dare, he had become somewhat of a legend. He wasn’t just brave—he was unpredictable.
Most first-years feared Snape. Ted? He actively messed with the guy.
His entrance ceremony performance alone had been enough to make him unforgettable. While everyone had sung the school song normally, Ted had belted out a completely offbeat, hilariously exaggerated rendition that left the Great Hall in stitches. And, of course, there was the infamous Halloween incident—something that still haunted many students to this day.
"You two staying for the holidays too?" Ted asked, keeping his voice low so as not to attract the wrath of Madam Pince.
The Patil twins nodded. Though they were British, their family still had deep ties to India, and they usually visited over the holidays. This year, however, their parents had business back home, so they had chosen to remain at Hogwarts.
As they chatted, Ted couldn’t help but be intrigued. "So, what’s the magic scene like in India? Any cool spells or creatures?"
Padma’s eyes lit up. "Oh, there’s tons. Indian magic is really different from European magic. It’s more focused on spiritual energy and rituals. The wizards there are called ‘Mantrika’ and ‘Tantrika,’ and their magic is often tied to nature and divine forces."
Parvati smirked. "And then there are the Rakshasas—monstrous beings that are said to have powerful magic of their own. Some say they can shapeshift at will."
Ted leaned in, fascinated. The magical world was so much bigger than Hogwarts, and he was only just scratching the surface.
"Sounds like a game I’d love to play," he said, grinning. "A world full of mystical warriors, powerful monsters, and ancient spells? Sign me up."
Padma chuckled. "Trust me, if you ever visit India, you’ll find more magic than you can handle."
Ted leaned back in his chair, smirking. "Well, now I definitely have to go someday."
The three continued talking, exchanging stories about Hogwarts, their classes, and the many mysteries of magic beyond the school’s walls.
Comments
Lord Of the Mysteries
Give him Something to strength his body but also usable to others as well. Like Basic Body Tempering Method
