It was early in the morning on March 7th. It was a cold morning, although the sun threatened to change that rather quickly.
Extimum had left the castle for his morning training. He usually looked for an area far from others to avoid being disturbed.
--Extimum's POV--
Upon arriving at the area where I usually practice, I reached into my bag and pulled out my wooden sword.
It was a long and heavy sword, made from a magical type of wood known for its weight. Other than that, it had nothing special. I usually used it for practice or sparring when the opportunity arose. It wasn't like I could bring a real sword to Hogwarts—"it would be dangerous," they said. Funny how they say that, considering you can do much more damage with a wand.
But well, since we are wizards and not knights, I can somewhat understand the reasoning.
On the other hand, the swords at home aren't really any good either. They're more like relics than useful weapons.
Leaving my bag on a nearby rock, I walked over to the open space and began my training.
I started with some push-ups to stretch out my body. I usually divide my training into three sections.
In the first, I focus on sword exercises. In the second, I rest a bit and focus on spell casting, perfecting my casting and understanding of them. Occasionally, I even try casting them non-verbally or without a wand. The progress isn't much, but it improves my skill.
In the third section, I focus on my body—I run around the castle, try to jump through the air when no one is watching, and hit a tree I enchanted to be soft; it keeps its resistance, but hitting it doesn't hurt.
Lately, I've added some exercises with my tails. They are surprisingly fast and very strong. I've confirmed they can lift or support my body weight even if I relied on just one.
Finishing my stretching, I took my sword and stood in position.
*ha ha*
*swoosh*
I swung my sword forward again and again, then changed position and repeated the process.
At some point during practice, I began to sweat from the effort and took off my uniform shirt. I wasn't worried about being seen—this place was quite far from the castle, and I hadn't seen anyone come here, at least not in the morning.
After practicing straight movements, I moved on to more complicated ones. I moved with the sword, spinning at times or focusing on mastering the blade while staying within a specific space. It almost looked like I was dancing, flowing with the sword in each motion.
*swoosh*
I was pulled out of my focused state when I heard an exclamation.
???: "Wow, those are some amazing sword moves."
???: "Ah, don't stop. I'm sorry if I interrupted you—I was just passing by and couldn't help but exclaim when I saw you moving so magnificently with that sword."
I stopped my movements and let the tip of the sword rest on the ground, then looked at the person who had interrupted me.
Extimum: "Oh, it's you."
???: "Ah, do you know me?"
--End POV--
Extimum: "Well, putting myself aside, there's no other student with such a particular hair color. In fact, it's quite surprising we haven't talked before, don't you think, Nymphadora Tonks?"
Tonks was a young woman who radiated a cheerful aura. Her hair was short, reaching her shoulders, and was a striking pinkish-purple color. Her eyes were bright black, and her skin was fair. She was considerably older compared to him, as she was in her final year at Hogwarts.
Nymphadora: "Ah, I'd prefer if you didn't call me that, but you're right, we do stand out a lot thanks to our hair. I've never met another metamorphmagus before, but I've seen you around sometimes, Extimum." Nymphadora said while her hair shifted to a red color before returning to its usual purple.
Extimum: "Alright, then I'll call you Nymp. It's shorter."
Nymp: "No, no, call me Tonks. I don't like my name."
Extimum: "Eh… although it's true that its meaning can be interpreted in an unflattering way, its true origin is actually the opposite. But fine, if that's what you prefer."
"However, you don't seem to have much control over your metamorphic ability." Extimum put his sword away and approached a nearby rock to sit down, slipping his shirt back on as he did so.
Tonks: "Yeah… sometimes it gets out of hand with my emotions. On the other hand, I've never seen you with another hair color." Tonks also walked over to sit beside him, though she seemed to sneak quick glances at Extimum's shirtless body.
Even though she preferred older men, and Extimum was currently quite young, she couldn't help but appreciate how well-toned his body was for his age.
Extimum: "Mmm, well, that's mostly because I practice Occlumency. You should give it a try. Before I started practicing, my hair would also change colors on its own. In my case, it would turn a dark blue-purple."
Tonks: "Ugh, Occlumency… yeah, it's way too complicated. I skimmed through the material once, but I just can't seem to empty my mind. I think I even fell asleep while trying. I've learned a few defense tricks, but that's about it."
Extimum: "I can help you with that if you want. It's hard to control transformations when they depend on intention, and they often respond to subconscious intention. I wouldn't be surprised if a metamorphmagus obsessed with someone ended up transforming into them without even realizing it."
Tonks: "Hehe, you're right. Hey, why don't you continue your training? I want to watch. You really looked cool while swinging that sword."
Extimum: "It's not supposed to be a show… but fine, I still had a bit more to go."
Extimum stood up from the rock and drew his sword again. He had caught a bit of Tonks' bubbly and enthusiastic attitude.
After taking his stance once more, he continued with his practice.
…
*clap, clap*
Tonks: "Bravo! That was magnificent!"
Extimum: "Anyone else would've been embarrassed by the amount of enthusiasm you put into that compliment." Extimum said as he lowered his wooden sword, finishing his routine.
Tonks: "From my point of view, it looked amazing. You should show off your sword training to others—you'd definitely get a lot of fans."
"Oh, right! It's getting a bit late. I was supposed to meet someone, but I totally forgot, haha. See you later! Thanks for letting me witness your sword dance." After finishing her sentence, Tonks left in a hurry to find the person she'd left waiting.
Extimum: 'Her personality is just as enthusiastic and fun as I expected.'
Extimum continued his training, and when he was done, he headed to the Great Hall to have breakfast with the others.
.
Classes in the afternoon had ended.
Extimum was now sitting alone in the Ravenclaw common room.
He was reading a book about Runes. Since it was third-year material and up, there wasn't much support for the topic, but he was looking for something that could help him create an artifact to contain the effects he had in mind for his business.
His research was going well so far—he had a few ideas. The best way to do it would be to create a model of the house or room within an artifact, and then customize it with spells, after which the changes would be applied to the actual house, transforming it.
That said, although the idea was solid, there were many things to consider. For instance, each house was different, and the barriers or enchantments they carried could interfere with certain modifications.
At the very least, though, he now had a rough path on how to make his idea a reality.
As he focused on his book, he suddenly felt someone approaching from behind.
Extimum: "I know you're there, Steve."
However, despite his words, the presence he felt behind him continued to sneak closer, ignoring what he'd said. He also sensed that it wasn't just one person—there were several.
Extimum knew it was them—the sound of their footsteps, their scent, even the emotions he felt coming from behind him were familiar. So, he moved two of his tails and extended them behind the couch he was sitting on.
He wrapped up the two people he sensed and gently tossed them onto the sofa in front of him.
**woahh** ×2
Steve: "Damn it, how did you know I was there? I swear I didn't make a sound!"
Mitchell: "Hmph, clearly you're too fat and your steps gave you away."
Steve: "Heh, it must've been your limp from training that made noise. I'm perfectly stealthy."
Trudor: "Will you two stop arguing already? I told you Extimum would sense us. There's no point in trying to surprise him—it's like he has eyes on his back." Trudor arrived shortly after, carrying a box in his hands.
Mitchell: "Hey, but how did you throw us like that? Did you learn a new spell? I've seen you levitate things before, but I doubt you could lift both of us."
Steve: "Yeah, it felt like something grabbed me."
From an outside perspective, it looked as if they had simply been grabbed by something and tossed onto the couch.
Since Extimum kept his tails under an illusion, they could only be felt, not seen—and even that depended on whether Extimum wasn't masking those senses too.
Extimum: "Even if you're quiet, your malicious intent could be sensed from a mile away—even while I was reading. As for how I threw you... let's just say it's a new skill I've learned."
Steve: "You're creepy, man. How can you say you sensed our intentions? Did you even know what we were trying to do?"
Extimum: "Actually, I felt you two were about to pounce on me. That's why I threw you onto the sofa."
Trudor: "Steve, enough rambling. Don't forget why we came here."
Mitchell: "Right, ahem, what are you waiting for, Steve? Get up." Mitchell stood up first and adjusted his slightly messy uniform.
Steve: "Tch, fine, ahem."
Trudor, Steve, Mitchell: "Happy birthday!" Steve and Mitchell shouted while tossing confetti, and Trudor opened the box to reveal a cake.
Extimum: "What? How did you know it was my birthday?" Extimum asked, genuinely surprised.
He hadn't told anyone when his birthday was. It wasn't exactly something he'd casually bring up unless someone asked.
Steve: "Of course! How could I build my gossip empire if I couldn't even find out something like that?"
Mitchell: "Yeah, Steve had to beg and promise favors to a bunch of teachers to get them to tell him, but none of them were willing to budge. It wasn't until he explained why that Professor Flitwick finally told us."
Steve: "Shh! Shut up, Mitchell! How am I supposed to maintain my reputation if you go around telling everyone how I get my intel?"
Trudor: "And I got some older students to tell me where the kitchens were so I could request this cake for you."
Extimum's gaze stayed fixed on the cake for a moment. There were some complex emotions flickering in his eyes. After a few seconds of silence, when his friends noticed he wasn't speaking, he turned his gaze back to them and said:
Extimum: "Thank you."
His response surprised his friends. The usual serenity in his voice was gone, replaced by a faint warmth. But what surprised them the most was that, for the first time, they saw Extimum's hair flicker like a candle. Its color changed for a second, then returned to normal.
Steve: "Pss, did you see that?" Steve rubbed his eyes—he almost thought he was hallucinating, it happened so fast.
Mitchell: "Shhh, don't ruin the moment." Mitchell had also noticed the flicker and was surprised, but he managed to hold it in.
Unlike Steve, once he found out Extimum was a metamorphmagus, he'd taken the time to research the subject. Still, they hadn't seen Extimum actually transform until now.
Even so, the fact that just celebrating his birthday could affect him like that was truly surprising.
Trudor: "Alright, look—open my present." Trudor had placed the cake on a nearby table and pulled out a small package.
Extimum took the gift and opened it. Inside was a small rune board.
It was used by students to quickly enchant objects, especially those who were still learning and weren't very skilled yet. Though its use was limited to the runes inscribed on it, it was very useful for Extimum at his current level.
Trudor: "I saw you reading about runes, and since we haven't covered the subject yet, I figured it'd be hard for you to learn without help. So, this board should help you while you study."
Extimum: "Thanks. It's a really timely gift right now."
Steve: "Hey, my turn—"
Mitchell: "Move it, move it. We got caught because of you, so I'm giving my gift first."
Extimum: "Oh, you can just give them to me at the same time. Fighting over who goes first in this situation is frankly childish."
Steve: "Fine. Look at my gift. With this, you'll always remember us." Steve pulled out a small frame with a picture of all of them.
Curiously, Extimum didn't remember ever taking such a picture, so it was probably magically edited.
Mitchell: "Mine's a ticket to a very special place... Steve recommended it, and my dad had one among his things. It's for July, so you can go when we leave Hogwarts." The context of such a ticket sounded rather suspicious, but Extimum accepted it anyway.
Extimum: "Thanks to all of you for the gifts and for celebrating my birthday."
Steve: "Oh, but it's not over yet. I took the liberty of informing all your acquaintances. I have to admit—it was hard to convince the Slytherins and Gryffindors to be in the same room without fighting while we went to get you."
Mitchell: "Man, you should've seen them. They were like rabid dogs. If we turned our backs for even a second, someone would say something that could've started a fight. Come to think of it, we better get moving before they've already started again."
After that, Extimum followed them to an empty room in the castle where they had gathered his friends.
The room had simple decorations, with food and drinks arranged on a few tables, and most of the space cleared out.
Inside were Draco and his group: Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy. Daphne and Tracey were there too.
A little further from the others stood Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville. From Ravenclaw, they had invited Padma, and she in turn had invited her sister Parvati. From Hufflepuff, Susan and Hannah had been invited.
The most surprising guest was Tonks. He had just met her that morning. He had no idea how they'd managed to invite her.
Extimum even started to suspect they had been watching him all this time. When he cast a suspicious glance at Steve, Steve seemed to sense it and quickly answered as if he knew the reason for the look.
Steve: "Don't look at me like that. She overheard our conversation and invited herself. We don't even know if you two really know each other."
Tonks: "Hmph, you talk as if I snuck into a party just for the food." Tonks said that while clearly holding a plate with snacks.
Steve gave a crooked smile at that—even he wondered if he could be that shameless.
Tonks: "Hey, Extimum, I came to your party to wish you a happy birthday too. Look, I even brought you a gift." Tonks said as she handed him a black porcelain bottle.
Tonks: "Pour it into the drink, and you'll see how those tense folks over there become best friends." Tonks leaned in and whispered near his ear while discreetly gesturing toward the Gryffindor and Slytherin groups who were glaring at each other.
Extimum: "This isn't liquor, right?" Extimum opened the bottle and gave it a sniff. It had a fragrant scent, but he didn't recognize it.
Tonks: "Oh please, do you think I'd give them that? No, this is much better." Tonks stepped back and answered cheerfully.
Extimum was hesitant, but he didn't believe she would give them anything bad. Still, he wasn't about to drink it himself.
Extimum: "pss Trudor, pour this into the drinks." Extimum whispered to Trudor, who was standing nearby.
Trudor: "Okay." Trudor seemed far less worried about the suspicious bottle and went off to do it without hesitation.
Right after that, everyone took turns congratulating him and giving him their presents. Some gave large gifts, others simple things like candies or magical toys.
Steve: "Alright, now everyone grab a drink. We're going to toast to Extimum!" Steve said with a crooked smile—he clearly knew something was off with the drink.
Everyone: "Happy birthday!" Everyone toasted and took a sip from their drinks.
It was just a punch—but Extimum had secretly poured himself a different drink, replacing the contents of his glass before the toast.
The party was originally meant to last only a short time, considering the tense relationships between the guests. It was likely they'd just give their gifts, eat, and leave. However, after a little while, everyone's mood suddenly began to shift.
Extimum wasn't an expert in potions, so he couldn't tell what the bottle contained just by its scent—but the effects kicked in quickly.
He didn't know exactly when things began to turn weird. Maybe it was when he heard Tonks' mischievous laughter while watching the chaos unfold.
Everyone started getting excited, jumping around, or dancing with one another.
You knew things were going really wrong when you saw Draco dancing with Ron, or Neville dancing with Pansy. Others whispered secrets while giggling like fools.
Steve: "Damn, what was that? A euphoria potion?"
Tonks: "Hahaha, I don't know. A friend gave it to me for livening up parties." Tonks seemed equally euphoric, though somehow more in control. Maybe she had experience with this kind of thing.
Extimum: "Why aren't you affected?"
Steve: "Heh, I've drunk so many strange things before that my stomach's kind of resistant." Even though Steve kept his usual attitude, he was definitely more upbeat than normal. It probably still affected him—just not as much.
Hermione: "Extimum, come dance with me!" Hermione had walked over at some point and invited him to dance. However, before she could take him, she was stopped by Daphne.
Daphne: "What? No, he's dancing with me."
Hermione: "No, I asked him first."
For a moment, Extimum thought they were going to start arguing—but in a strange twist of events, they ended up dancing with each other instead.
Although calling it dancing was generous—it was mostly kids hopping around or spinning while holding hands or arms.
Extimum: 'What a dangerous potion.'
So far, the effects seemed like extreme euphoria, and the loss of inhibition—possibly even rational thought.
Or so he thought, because Extimum couldn't find any other reason why Ron would be dancing with Draco.
Extimum: 'My first birthday is definitely... interesting.' While thinking that, Extimum pulled a Muggle camera from his bag—the one he had bought last Christmas—and began snapping photos of everyone.
These would be truly memorable photos.
At the end, he took one of the punches and gave it a tiny sip to test the strength of the effects.
At first, he didn't feel anything—but then, a rush of energy surged through him. He felt like running and jumping all over the place. It was lucky he had experience controlling sudden sensory and emotional surges, or else he really might've lost it.
The effect was so strong that the magic over his tails flickered, making them visible for a second.
Extimum: 'Damn... if that was just a sip, I don't even want to imagine drinking the whole cup.'
Extimum spent the rest of the party doing various things—sometimes dancing with whoever pulled him in, other times listening to people's rambles or bold declarations.
Other times, he just observed or recorded what people were saying while eating and drinking regular punch. The party lasted much longer than expected, and they ended up missing dinner in the Great Hall.
It was likely that the professors wondered where the loudest first-years from all houses had disappeared to, but they didn't worry much.
Meanwhile, Extimum and Steve made sure no one left the room—it would've been total chaos if anyone went out in that state. Among everyone, Tonks was one of those who enjoyed herself the most, listening to all the nonsense people were spouting and dancing with everyone. By the end, everyone had collapsed asleep on the floor.
Extimum would definitely remember this day.
Later, with the help of Tonks and Steve—who seemed to be the only ones still awake and coherent—they carried everyone to their respective common rooms and asked other students to help get them settled.
For Extimum, the party was especially emotional, since he had never celebrated his birthday before. For him, it had always been just another date—aside from a greeting from Bob and maybe a small cake, he had never celebrated or received gifts.
The next morning.
Extimum woke up early, as usual, and met everyone in the Great Hall for breakfast. In the past few weeks, he had noticed that, consciously or unconsciously, everyone always ended up sitting across from each other between the house tables.
It was quite curious, since, although the tables were informally divided by year, there were still enough students that such a pattern shouldn't have occurred.
With a quick glance, he saw many gloomy faces.
Most notably: Draco, Pansy, Hermione, and Ron.
Others handled it better, like Daphne, who just seemed spaced out, or Harry, who, though confused, found the situation more amusing than anything. Perhaps the most interesting expression was Neville's—he looked as if he had committed a terrible sin.
Extimum sat at the Gryffindor table, directly parallel to Slytherin's.
Extimum: "Good morning, everyone." Extimum had returned to his usual serenity, but there was a spark of amusement—and maybe mischief—in his eyes as he observed the situation.
Hermione: "Good morning? That's all you have to say? After what happened yesterday?"
Extimum: "What are you talking about? A lot happened yesterday. Oh… you mean when you told me I was very handso—"
Hermione: "S-shut up! I never said that—you must've imagined it because of that drink's effects!" Hermione covered her mouth and blushed slightly.
Everyone present remembered most of what had happened the day before.
Extimum: "That's a shame, because I didn't drink that punch… and I recorded some of the most interesting confessions from last night."
Hermione: "What!? You're joking, right? Show me!"
Ron: "Can you two stop arguing about that? My situation is worse… I danced and hugged Draco like we were drunk best friends yesterday."
Harry: "Don't worry, Ron—look, Draco doesn't look particularly happy about the memory either."
Looking over at Draco, he still wore a dark expression and didn't seem likely to recover anytime soon.
Ron: "Easy for you to say—you didn't dance with him. I saw you dancing with Susan and some other girls, and you were pretty bold."
Harry: "R-really? You must've imagined that. I-I don't remember anything like that." Harry was clearly flustered recalling his behavior.
He had danced with Susan, Tracey, and Hannah. Even he wondered where he'd gotten the energy and courage from. He also remembered saying a few embarrassing things that made him want to disappear. Luckily, almost everyone had said or done something they regretted, so an unspoken pact of silence had formed among them.
Neville: "You're still lucky, Ron… I danced with Pansy. Do you think she'll kill me? She's been giving me weird looks all morning—it's making me nervous. And I… I said strange things yesterday…"
Tonks: "Hey, good morning, everyone. You're all a lot quieter than yesterday, huh?" Tonks had just entered the Great Hall and commented as she looked at all the attendees from the previous night.
"The party yesterday was amazing—so many confessions, new friendships, and bold declarations. You'll definitely have more fun in the years to come with memories like those." Finishing her words, she headed over to the seventh-year Hufflepuffs.
Upon hearing her, more than a few people blushed or hid their faces in their hands—even the proud Draco had to turn away. The memories of what he'd said would haunt him for a while.
No longer able to take it, he stood up and pointed at Ron.
Draco: "Listen carefully, Weasley—whatever happened yesterday… you must forget it completely, and I'll do the same with anything you said. Otherwise… Hmph, I'll make sure you regret it." After speaking, he stormed out of the Great Hall.
Seeing him leave, Crabbe and Goyle quickly stood up and followed him.
Pansy also got up to go after him, but before leaving, she gave Neville a long look before walking away.
Some of the others who had heard Tonks' words—like Hermione, Susan, Padma, Parvati, and Tracey—hid their faces in their hands. Even stoic Daphne blushed, though she refused to cover her face.
Ron: "Ugh, I don't want anyone knowing any of that either."
Harry: "Yeah… let's all agree to a silent pact."
Hermione: "I hate you, Extimum."
Extimum: "Mmm, don't worry—I'll keep the photos and recordings safe."
His words made a few people visibly nervous, but they let it go after a moment.
Extimum: "By the way, has anyone seen Steve? I don't see him at breakfast."
Trudor: "Huh, I think I heard he got chased again yesterday… by the second-year Ravenclaw girls."
Mitchell: "That damn fatty, always doing something shady."
After that, everyone finished their breakfast and continued with their day as usual—though more than a few spent the whole day thinking about the things they said or did at that party.