1nd of September 1936
He stood in front of his mirror looking at himself, wearing only his trousers. He had been filling out quite nicely. He had several inches on the majority of his peers that were his age and he had built a toned body with a six pack showing.
He was headed towards the build his father had but with far more definition.
His features had sharpened as time went on and he was gaining more and more similarities with his grandfather excepting for the nose and the shape of the eyes. He had grown his hair longer and it was now shoulder length but he wore it back, tying it back.
His skin was still pale and even when he had spent time travelling with Benedict; his skin had remained pale and had never tanned.
It was odd but he shrugged it off.
His greatest feature still remained his eyes.
The contrast between his striking amethyst eyes and his skin was sharp and captivating which was extremely useful.
Attractiveness was a weapon of its own and it was something he had wielded well in the past.
He wasn't sure whether to be pleased or not that he was far more striking and attractive than he was in his previous life but he discarded it as inconsequential and irrelevant.
He wore a smug smile of satisfaction on his face as he tugged on his robes. Today would be the day that started his journey into greatness.
He had covered nearly four years of the main subjects taught at Hogwarts and was able to do them all wordlessly and a significant number of them without wand movement.
He shrunk his trunk and popped it into his pocket.
He made his way downstairs. He had his trunk ready for a couple of days and he had been eagerly waiting for this day. He had decided to leave Isla at home rather than take her with him but he took Fila with him. They had found out that the thunderbird that hatched was female which meant she would grow to be a quarter larger than the thunderbird that saved them from exposure in New York.
She had grown larger than an owl now but it seemed to have slowed down very significantly. She was affectionate with him and he appreciated it.
She wasn't often very far from him and seemed to understand him very well.
He sat down and began filling his plate with food. Midway through breakfast, his parents came down. After brief greetings they sat with him and we talked lightly as they ate.
A few hours later it was time to start heading towards Kings Cross Station. His parents were coming with him and see him off.
Atticus, his parents had reached Platform 9 ¾ through the floo. The platform was relatively clear from the masses as they had arrived early.
Atticus took out the trunk and un-shrunk it with the counter charm. He turned towards his family "I will see you all in December" he said.
His mother came forward and hugged him tightly "Ask for help from the teachers if you need it, don't do anything dangerous and make sure you interact with people beyond just acquaintanceship. And send letters to me! I want at least one letter a week."
Atticus simply hugged her back and nodded.
His father put his hand on his shoulder "If you need anything, I'm just an owl away. Do not hesitate to ask for anything. You've already made me a proud man so continue on the path you've set yourself on" He said softly.
Atticus softened and smiled "Will do father."
Atticus then turned and pulled his trunk towards the train with Fila on his shoulder, waved goodbye and boarded the train. He had packed the cage in the trunk as he didn't like caging her as it felt wrong. He had been getting odd looks from people with the bird on his shoulder which he simply ignored. He found himself a compartment in the middle section of the train, got his school robes out, dressed himself and levitated the trunk onto the rack wandlessly.
He sat down and Fila popped down from his shoulder and settled herself on his lap which had earned a chuckle from him. He removed the tie in his hair and wore it down.
He began to gaze outside watching people saying goodbyes to their families. He snapped out of it and pulled out a book he had started yesterday and became engrossed with it while Fila took the next seat down with her head in his lap and he stroked Fila with one hand and the book in the other.
Not before long, the door had opened which Atticus paid no mind.
Lucretia Black POV
Lucretia was annoyed. Cassiopeia had abandoned her to herself only stating that she needed to find her own friends, amused as she said that and began to laugh when Lucretia showed a face of betrayal. Lucretia sighed and made her way through the carriages, dragging her trunk as she walked. She looked in a number of carriages and many of them contained kids who were older or filled with three or more people.
She hadn't seen Serenna Yaxley or Mylene Burke yet in any of the carriages though she wasn't surprised. She and her sister had arrived very early and most wizarding families were notorious at not arriving early. She was now around the middle section of the train and found an empty compartment which suited her. But before she went in, she looked across and saw a boy with his hair down, obscuring his face, deep in a book with while there was a bird with its head on his lap which had her stumped.
The bird was dazzling. It had feathers of golden white colour and four wings which she had never heard of before. Before she knew it, she entered the compartment which hadn't garnered a reaction from the boy which annoyed her.
She cleared her throat and said "Hello, may I sit here?" she asked which finally got a response from the boy.
He looked up from his book, hair still obscuring his face until he set his locks behind his ear and turned to face her.
She would be dishonest if she said that her breath didn't hitch. She recognised him and he was even more striking than he was when she had met him. His skin was still pale but his face was sharper, aristocratic features more defined than the childish face that he had but most of all, his eyes were still the same captivating, unfairly beautiful colour of amethyst with those bright emerald flecks.
"Yes, you may" he smiled at her, with his eyes assessing her. She felt naked, vulnerable under his gaze and for a moment she wondered if it was a mistake but she persevered.
"Do you need help with your trunk?" he asked politely. She nodded appreciating the offer and the boy whipped his wand from its holster and gestured towards the trunk which it was now stacked on the railings.
She murmured thanks and sat down when she realised that he had done it without a word. She sat up sharply and asked "Did you just do it without incantation?" she asked disbelievingly.
He remained unfazed, as if what he had just done was nothing more than just something out of the ordinary. His body language remained relaxed but as it seemed a facade.
But she was a Black and they were taught how to read people and all the other paranoid and mad things that she thought they were being taught. She wouldn't admit it but it proved useful right now.
He smiled at her in a bland way and shrugged "Maybe" he simply said and before she could reply he spoke "Are you perhaps Lucretia Black? I believe we met on briefly in one of your family's events?" he asked intently, meeting her gaze with those ridiculous eyes of his.
She nodded more shyly than she had intended. "Yes" she said with more than a little hint of a high note to it which seemed to bemuse him a little. He got up from his position after he set the bird down to the side and stuck out his hand
"Pleasure to see you again. I'm Atticus Sayre, Heir to the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Sayre" he softly said and she held out her hand which he took and kissed the back off. Heat rushed up her neck slightly. He let go of her hand and the bird hopped onto his lap and he began to stroking it again, softly murmuring to the bird. She coughed and regained her composure or at least tried to and changed the subject "I have never seen that kind of bird before, what is it?" she asked curiously.
His demeanours shifted almost immediately and where before his body language was, not really defensive but also not open, was now more at ease.
He turned his head from the bird and looked at her and she could swear that it had a mischievous look to it "She is a thunderbird" he said plainly, as if it was nothing. She had heard of thunderbirds before but she wasn't all that familiar with her magical creatures.
She looked at him confusedly "Isn't that a rare bird?" she asked and he nodded
"Yes, she's a rare one. Their native environment is in North America." He paused and looked back at the bird "I found her when she was still in her egg and I didn't know she was a thunderbird. There haven't been any sightings of Thunderbirds, ever, so no one knew what she was until she hatched" he looked back at her and smiled slightly
"It was a surprise to everyone in the family when she hatched."
Lucretia smiled a little "Yes, I can imagine so." She murmured, eyes firmly on the bird "Will she get bigger?"
The boy then chuckled lightly "Yes, she will get much larger. I think she will get to something like 5 metres long with a wingspan between twice and thrice as long" he said, fully enjoying the shocked face she was adorning.
She was more wary now "Is she allowed at Hogwarts? Thunderbirds aren't on the list of pets that were allowed at Hogwarts" she asked confused. Surely such a large animal wouldn't be allowed.
Atticus at that point leaned back "Ah, but there is a loophole to the rules. If you have a familiar, it is allowed as long as the familiar isn't a danger to the students" Atticus shrugged "Fila isn't a danger to the students" he paused before growing more serious "As long as they don't do anything stupid" he simply stated.
Atticus POV
As soon as Atticus said that, she looked apprehensive at that but she shrugged it off and a silence fell upon them. Thankfully, they had been saved by a pair of girls who entered the carriage who it seemed she knew.
After a few introductions and once again reciting the story of Fila, he remained in the background as they conversed. He set his eyes on the landscape as they began to move. He was deep in thought.
There was much to do and so very little time.
He closed his eyes, ignoring the chattering of the girls.
He had decided to force the hat to put him in Ravenclaw. He chose Ravenclaw because it would allow him far more discretion than Slytherin would.
The hat considered the choice of students so he should be able to convince him that Ravenclaw was where he was suited for.
Before long, announcement went off that Hogsmeade was approaching in twenty minutes.
Atticus brought the cage out of the trunk so that Fila could enter it. He was unhappy about it but he knew he couldn't just walk into the castle with Fila on his shoulder.
After the train had arrived at Hogsmeade station, Atticus was among the rest of the first years following a burly man that was the groundskeeper. Atticus found himself with a random bunch of children in the boat who he hadn't recognised who were too excited to pay him any attention.
In truth, he was in an anticipating mood himself.
Before too long, they passed the low stone bridge and the sight of the castle came into view and it was magnificent. The books often spoke of the sight of the castle and the reactions that people had to Hogwarts and it didn't do it justice. The castle was breathtaking. The castle was imposing. The tall sharp towers, the smooth, faultless stones that made the walls, the countless torches and candles that illuminated the castle that could be seen even from their boats.
Soon enough, it was time to leave the boat and they walked towards the entry of the castle.
The door swung open with a groan and they were greeted by the Deputy Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. He wore modest grey robes with a traditional wizard's hat. He had striking ginger hair but it was greying and vivid blue eyes that captured attention with eyes. Atticus' magical sensing was still not great but he could feel the tightly coiled magic of Dumbledore and it was shocking.
The man was powerful. Not even his great grandfather had even half the presence that Dumbledore had and he had no doubt that Dumbledore was keenly suppressing the majority of his magic.
"The first years, Professor" The burly man said. "Thank you Ogg. I'll take them from here" and he directed his gaze towards the crowd of first years.
"Welcome!" Dumbledore spoke with exuberance. "Welcome to Hogwarts! I am Professor Dumbledore, Deputy Headmaster of this fine institution and your Defence against the Dark Arts professor. Soon enough, I'll be walking you through these doors and through the hallowed halls of Hogwarts" he visible pointed out. After a few minutes, he guided them through the door and into an enormous entrance hall. There was a huge stairway that dominated the view. Large torches illuminated the hall, fully exposing the majesty and size of the hall.
The man's swift footsteps echoed through the hall, like a metronome, calming the nerves that were high among the first years as they followed him closely.
Before they entered the great hall, Dumbledore took the opportunity to speak with them. He clapped and began to explain "I'm sure you all are hungry which you will soon enough sate with splendidly cooked food" he paused for a second "But before that, the sorting ceremony will be conducted whereby you will be sorted into Houses. There are four different Houses, Slytherin of which the head of house is Horace Slughorn who is also the Potions professor, Ravenclaw is headed by Michais Fawley who is the Charms Professor, Gryffindor is headed by myself and I'm your DADA professor and lastly but not least Hufflepuff which is headed by Daphne Goshawk who is the Ancient Runes professor."
Soon enough, they entered the great hall and it certainly lived up to its name. Nearly a hundred children who all grouped together, whispering to each other suddenly clamped up as they were stared at by the hundreds of students seated at the four long tables at the centre of the great hall. The tables were full of golden plates and goblets.
Atticus looked and saw the famous ceiling. Atticus had read up on the ceiling but he had not found anything substantive on it regarding how it worked. The ceiling was enchanted to look like the night sky outside. He had many ideas on how to apply the idea on a wider scale.
After all, if the ceiling could be enchanted like this, why not do it on a grander scale? For example, Astronomy class could have use of this enchantment if it was done on a grander scale.
He was brought out of his thoughts as Dumbledore moved up the steps and stood next to the stool with the old ratty hat sitting on the wooden stool. Soon enough, the hat sung. It was basically a message of unity and perseverance in the face of adversity.
Soon enough, Dumbledore began to call out names and the sorting process began. Atticus looked around him at his fellow first years. He counted 126 first years which had surprised him.
If he extrapolated, it would mean roughly 800-1000 of students. He wondered how many children were home taught or attended smaller schools in the Isles. He had been greatly surprised when he had discovered that Hogwarts had not been the only school in the Isles, simply the best and reserved for those who had a minimum threshold of magic or those who were from wizarding families and could afford to attend Hogwarts.
Muggleborns could only attend Hogwarts as it was only Hogwarts that could afford absorbing the costs of educating them as most of them were exceptionally poor in comparison to most wizarding families if you considered exchange rates. The other magicals attended either one of four smaller schools that were in each region, Wales, England, Ireland and Scotland.
Atticus snapped out of as the sorting was approaching him.
Finally, Dumbledore called out "Sayre, Atticus!"
Atticus with long strides and avoided eye contact with Dumbledore until the last moment, inclined who head towards the stool and Atticus took his seat.
The hat was placed on his head. Atticus could feel probing in his mind but it felt substantially different from any kind of Legillimency probe he had ever felt. It never even attacked his shields.
"Oh, Occlumency at your age already? Impressive but it will not prevent me from being able to sort you, young mage" the hat chuckled before it grew suddenly quiet. "You are more than just an eleven year old aren't you?" The hat wondered, voice trailing as it spoke.
Atticus stiffened before he immediately relaxed "Anything you read in my mind is protected is it not? You aren't allowed to speak of what you find in people's mind during the sorting correct?" Atticus asked as he grew wary.
"Correct, I cannot reveal your secrets to anyone in the castle, not even the headmaster or even the deputy headmaster that you are so wary of...interesting...interesting. There is something locked away from me that I have never seen before in your mind." Atticus ignored that comment. He knew what it was but he didn't want to give anything away "Fine, be obstinate." The hat chuckled in his mind.
"Well, let's get going with the sorting." The hat continued to rifle through his mind and the noise that the hat was making more and more disquieting. "Well, seeing what I have seen in your mind certainly confirms that you are not normal and possess somehow knowledge you should not have. Oh the ambition you hold...Salazar would fight all the others for the right of having you in his house..."
The hat wondered. The hat started laughing in his mind "Oh I look forward to see if you achieve what you have set yourself on achieving. You're going to need a lot of work before you even approach the state you want to see yourself at."
The hat paused "You have the ambition far beyond anyone I have sorted so far though I have the impression you are not as young as you seem. Oh you have cunning to spare, after all to do all that you have done underneath your family's notice? You have the cunning to shape magical society in whatever shape you wish but you do not have the will, yet, to do it. You have the work ethic that Helga would love to see in her own house. You are not particularly loyal to anyone except maybe your family who you are fiercely protective of."
For a moment the hat paused as it continued to rifle through his mind. "You are hardworking but not without purpose. You have a noble spirit but it is muted by your ambition and practicality. You are brave but it is not a defining trait of yours. You possess a keen intellect and wisdom to boot but you have an impulsiveness that may override your wisdom." The hat asked.
Atticus interceded at this point as he knew what House he'd end up in otherwise "Please put me in Ravenclaw. I have no desire to entangle myself with politics during my years at Hogwarts. Ravenclaw suits me well because I seek to increase my knowledge as much as I can while I am at Hogwarts. While I'm ambitious, the majority of my ambition is rooted magic for which I need knowledge. Knowledge is power in my view and Slytherin would only get in my way with their politics."
The hat murmured about not letting it do its job "Are you certain? You have the ability to dominate the house if you wished to?"
Atticus frowned "Yes. I'm certain. The house while ordinarily would suit me but the people within it do not suit me. I have no difficulty with mingling with muggleborns or half bloods despite the family I have been born in. If I wished to interact with them, it would give me problems and I'd have to react which would not end well for the others. Ravenclaw would give me the space I need to grow my capabilities without the annoyance that Slytherin House would be."
The hat hummed in thought "Very well"
The hat stated with a rare seriousness "From what I have seen, you have some knowledge of what is to come. Perhaps you can change the fate of magical Britain."
Before Atticus could reply the hate shouted out "RAVENCLAW!"
The Ravenclaw table erupted in applause and cheers as the hat had been removed from his head. Harry made his way over to the table, at the far end where the first years were seated. He sat next a boy called Tavish Bletchley.
The welcoming feast was pretty good though he hated pumpkin juice for its sweetness. He had called out for water which had been promptly delivered.
Soon enough, the first years were escorted out the great hall and into the dungeons through a multitude of corridors and stairs. The prefect was named John Harper, a minor pureblood family, he recalled, who began to explain his role and how they could all ask him for help if they needed and gave a typical speech about keeping the entrance of the common room secret.
Before long, Fawley came through the entrance as he and the rest of the first years were told to wait. He was elderly but not overly as he seemed spry and thin and had grey hair bordering on white. He had stark blue eye which contrasted supremely with his visage.
"Hello first years, I am Michais Fawley, I am your Head of House and I am your Charms Professor. I have a few things to say before I let you all go to sort yourselves out so if you could all take a seat" Fawley said gesturing to the collection of chairs that appeared behind them.
Atticus took a seat at the end of the row. Fawley clapped "Now I shall begin, first let me welcome you all to the noble house of Ravenclaw." He paused.
He continued "Rowena Ravenclaw, as all you should know by now, was one of four of the founders of Hogwarts. Her House, our house, is a house that is characterised by their wit, their learning, wisdom, intelligence and creativity as this was what Lady Ravenclaw sought these traits in her students. Lady Ravenclaw prized learning above all else – and so do we. The other houses have hidden entrances to their common rooms but ours is not. Our entrance has a bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle and once you knock, you will be asked a question, a riddle, for you to solve and answer before you are allowed entry into the common room. This has worked for almost a thousand years." There were a series of nervous shuffling among the first years which amused him, and evidently so it did Fawley.
Fawley briefly smiled in a reassuring manner "Do not worry. I can see some of you are nervous about not solving the riddle. You will learn fast enough and you will learn to enjoy it. It's not unusual to discover a group of people unable to enter as they are all stuck on the question. It is a great way to meet other Ravenclaws from different years and to learn from them. I would advise that you ensure that you have everything you need with you at all times as it could very well become problematic if you left something behind and you were unable to solve the riddle" he smiled at the room.
He turned serious "Many of the students of the other houses will consider you all bookish which can be true in many cases" he shrugged but continued
"But do not let them deter you. Be proud of yourself and your minds. Do not feel embarrassed by your knowledge and intelligence and your love of knowledge." He looked intently at them which had the effect he wanted as most drew themselves up.
He clapped which brought a number of parchments into existence and spread out to each first year. It was his timetable "These are your timetables. Your schedule will remain unchanged until the end of the year. The rooms will not change throughout the course of the year but it does, it will be announced both in the Great Hall and in the common room. I suggest that you all arrive early to your classes. I also suggest that you take the time to familiarise yourself with the castle in the meantime."
Atticus looked at his schedule
Mon: Potions (Hufflepuff), Potions, Lunch, Charms (Gryffindor)
Tue: Transfiguration (Slytherin), Herbology (Slytherin), Lunch, History (Gryffindor)
Wed: History, DADA (Hufflepuff), Lunch, Flying (Hufflepuff), Astronomy (night Slytherin)
Thu – Free Period, Charms, Lunch, Transfiguration
Fri –DADA, Lunch, Herbology, Ancient Studies
Fawley cleared his throat, grabbing the attention of the room "If you look in that direction, the library will come into sights." He said and everyone diverted in the direction he pointed.
"The library has many books that will help you increase your knowledge and help with your studies. Supplementary texts and books to aid you in your studies are amongst the books. Please note however, if you were to borrow a book you will be noted down for the particular book you have borrowed." He paused and a stern look came across "If the book disappears, we WILL know who was responsible" he finished strongly. A number of students shifted awkwardly.
"The books in the Miscellaneous section will not be open to you until you are in your third year. The books in here will be introductory into fields such as enchanting, alchemy, warding and so on" he paused "The more advanced books will be in the restricted section which you won't have access to until there is a need or you have proved yourself trustworthy and responsible."
He raised his hand and Fawley turned his gaze at him and nodded at him so Atticus began "Sir, will we have the opportunity to learn healing at Hogwarts?" he asked tilting his head in a curious manner.
Fawley, if he was surprised, did not show it "Yes there will be opportunity to learn healing for those who wish to go on that route but that will be only available by those who have achieved Os their OWLS in DADA, Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Arithmancy and Herbology and proceed to do take the same subjects in NEWTS. Even then, the school healer, Madame Pomfrey will only pick a maximum of two each year." At this Fawley smiled wryly
"Often enough students drop out when they realise their load structure of NEWTS and healing is too much to handle" he nodded at this and sat back down. He didn't intend to become a healer but he wanted to become proficient in healing.
"Now" Fawley said while looking around the room "How about we all introduce ourselves so we can get to know each other" and so Fawley pointed out the first person to do so. Atticus paid attention as he matched faces with names.
He closed the thick wooden door behind him, his eyes assessing the room which he had been assigned. Luckily, Ravenclaw students had their own room. The room was fairly sized with barren walls, a large bed with green bedding and a desk with a matching chair, both looking aged. There was a small wardrobe in the far end of the room and a small shelf next to it. Luckily the room had two windows that Atticus could open which made letting Fila out a lot easier.
The trunk and cage were already within the room when he had entered which had pleased him. Before he relaxed, he proceeded to ward his room with the wards he had specifically learnt a few months before he was due to depart for Hogwarts.
He hadn't spent much time reading up on wards prior to that but he knew he wouldn't need it all that much in Ravenclaw though given that he had more than a fair chance of getting sorting in Slytherin, he knew would need protection while he slept in the snake pit and so he had read up on it.
He was in no way an expert in warding however with some consultation with some of the portraits at home he managed to learn some useful wards that suited him. There was a proximity ward that was tied to him, an anti-theft ward and an anti-intrusion ward that would require them to dismantle it if they wanted to get past it or overpower it which would definitely alert him.
He'd learn more complicated wards at a later date.
Atticus unclasped the lock to the cage and Fila flew out and landed on the perch that he had taken out of the trunk. He would need to find an acceptable arrangement for her considering how cramped the room was.
He would speak with the CARE professor regarding her at some point. He would need to speak with Kettleburn anyway as it had been one of the conditions considering that it was a XXXX beast.
Headmaster Dippet had been accommodating when his father had written to him, explaining the situation. Atticus had to obtain however a license from the ministry – his father had said it had been amusing to watch their reactions as he told them why he was there and what for – and given his family's stature, it was not difficult to obtain it.
His father had said though that it had circulated in the ministry that Atticus had a Thunderbird familiar. Atticus scowled in annoyance as he realised that it would garner a lot of attention on him.
Atticus liked Ravenclaw. It was what he needed. The environment was far more relaxing than he imagined the Slytherin dorms would be. He had been informed by his father regarding Slytherin House, as that had been the House he'd been placed, same as his great grandfather.
His grandfather Samuel had been a fellow Ravenclaw. He had checked through the family records – yes the family had kept records on which houses they were all sorted, it was strange that it such an importance – and the majority of Sayres were sorted in either Ravenclaw or Slytherin with a few sorted in Gryffindor or Hufflepuff.
Slytherin was ruled by a hierarchy. The Hierarchy isn't simply based on age, magical power, wealth, academics, connections and family name or blood purity it was based on all seven factors combined. A person who held all seven was extremely rare and three of the seven were required before you could even be considered elected to sit on the hierarchy. From what he could decipher, Riddle would have had two of the three, academics and magical power but he also had parseltongue which had been a worthy substitute he imagined for family name.
In any case, he decided to banish any thoughts of Slytherin.
The schedule he'd received had a total of 28 hours a week whereby he'd be in class. All things considered, it suited him well enough as it would give him the time he needed for his projects.
-Break-
He rose early as he usually did and did his usual exercises. He had combined some of the techniques he had learned in China with the exercises he did prior for the last couple of years.
The forms that he did reminded him of Ip Man, the famous martial artist. The difference however was obviously the use of magic.
There wasn't an active use of magic in the exercises that he did but it incorporated passive use of it. The techniques that he was doing increased the fluidity of the flow of magic within his body, shifting from one state to another. It always was a great meditative exercise that made him closer to his magic.
He cleaned up and made his way towards the Great Hall was among the first to enter. Atticus looked around and saw that the majority were either from Ravenclaw or Slytherin. He hadn't seen Lucretia or her friends yet and proceeded to sit down on his own at the Ravenclaw table.
Atticus loaded up his plate with scrambled eggs, bacon and toast and opened a transfiguration book that he had purchased when he had been in America.
He had become lost in the book when he had been disturbed by another first year in his house.
"So, Sayre, we waited for you to get up but it seems like it was a waste of our time" the boy whose name he didn't care to remember said disdainfully.
He set down his fork and the book in his right hand and looked at the boy "I wasn't aware plans were made to go to the Great Hall together. I certainly don't remember agreeing to such a thing." He mildly said before he sharpened his gaze "Remind me when it was made?" he asked intently.
The boy clamped up but sneered "I mentioned it before we all went into our rooms" he finished.
He simply shrugged "I'm an early riser" he didn't like the tone the boy used "Perhaps next time you will wait for an answer that will confirm what I will do." He said before he picked up his fork.
Before he continued eating, cutting off any retort from the boy, he glanced at the boy and coldly stated "Next time, cut the tone you speak to me with if you know what is good for you." He didn't release his magic as he didn't want too many witnesses in the Great Hall but he knew that the boy would be problematic if he didn't cut him off.
It seems that the boy had some aspirations as the leader of his year and wanted him in his corner. He would have to dissuade him of that notion.
"How dar-" he nearly shouted until he was pulled away by one of the boys he came with "Sorry about him" he nervously chuckled.
"Niles has always been...prickly" he said while shrugging. He sat down and extended his hand "I'm Michael Wilkins." He said. Atticus decided that he wouldn't get much of his book read so he decided to interact with the boy. He met his hand "Pleasure. I'm Atticus Sayre." He simply stated.
After a little while, a few of the other boys sat down around them and introduced themselves as Theodore Pyrites and Marcus Rowle.
-Break-
The first month passed quickly despite the dullness of his classes. He had already reached fourth to fifth year of the curriculum in all of his core subjects excepting of course Astronomy, Herbology and History.
He had decided that even though he may know the answers, he wouldn't answer them unless called upon.
He had continued his morning exercises but added a morning and thus woke up a little earlier each day to complete it all.
Potions so far had been introductory and would remain so for the rest of the month of September. Slughorn had been slow and deliberate in his subject and had given an introduction into Potions and equipment care the first couple of sessions.
The next couple of sessions had been regarding potion ingredient preparation. He expected to start brewing in the next week or so.
Atticus had successfully cast Wingardium Leviosa the levitation charm on the first go, with incantation and wand movement and had earned 15 points for it.
He had decided early on he wouldn't hold back too much but he would not advertise his skills. He wanted to be clear that he was exceptional as it would prove useful later on.
Transfiguration for the first few sessions involved pretty much what he expected. Introduction to the subject, explaining the four branches of Transfiguration, transformation, conjuration, vanishment and untransfiguration.
In the last session of the month they had been given the task to transfigure a matchstick into a needle and Atticus once again got it right on the first go. He had proceeded to help his class mates and managed to help a few speed the process up.
Astronomy followed the same introductory level as Potions whereas in Herbology, he had his first hands on class in late September which was the care of the Valerian plant. Flying had been pretty standard. He had not spent much time on a broom but he was adequate at it.
He much preferred being able to fly without a broom and it was something he would be working on.
DADA with Dumbledore so far had been mostly regarding low level magical creatures and general things to do when faced with a superior enemy. His teachings style was highly popular at Hogwarts and he could see why as he was an engaging and eloquent speaker.
So far from his observations, Dumbledore was definitely someone who seemed to enjoy teaching.
Annoyingly however, he had noticed that Dumbledore paid more attention to him than any other student in his classes. He wasn't certain why he had already gained his attention but he resolved to ensure that it would not negatively impact him.
Ancient studies was admittedly something he was curious in.
Professor Radclaw was an elderly man who had an air of youth about him, especially how enthusiastic he was regarding the subject.
Ancient Studies was quite analogous to what Classical Studies but from the magical perspective. Atticus had always been fascinated by the Ancient empires and states in his first life so he looked forward to the class.
He hadn't read too much on the subject when he received the books as he preferred to practice his magic.
History Atticus had ignored once he had confirmed that he did indeed read from the notes. He had however split his thought stream into two so that he could record what Binns had been saying for later recollection for homework and exams.
He spent much of those lessons working on finalising the projects that he would be working on for the rest of the year.
The first project he had outlined was the replication of the Marauder Map. He had an idea that the map was tied to the wards and used the Homino Revelio charm but he was uncertain of the rest of the charms. But he would have time to figure out.
The second project he had was pilfering the Room of Requirement of any and all useful things. There were hundreds of years of random things in there and he knew without a doubt there were likely a number of rare books that would prove useful.
He had gone to Knockturn Alley when he had been allowed to go to Diagon Alley on his own and purchased the Vanishing Cabinet that was in Borgin and Burkes.
He had been fortunate, or rather the usual trash who perused Knockturn Alley were fortunate, to not meet anyone who would dare give him trouble.
Borgin had been suspicious and hostile but after releasing his magic, pinning him down, he had been more than happy to help him, just get him out of the store.
He hadn't had any interest in any of the books or items that Borgin was selling at the time but he imagined at some point he'd revisit the place. The Cabinet was intact which meant that the pairing one that was within the ROR required fixing. Luckily, he was well versed in Runes so he didn't think it would be beyond him.
He'd asked his father regarding magical travel, in order to not seem suspicious regarding the vanishing cabinets, and had eventually found out that vanishing cabinets were illegal in ICW countries.
The Vanishing Cabinets were exceedingly difficult to ward against and were capable of bypassing wards. He fully intended to figure out the runic sequences that made the travel possible during his time at Hogwarts for the advantages were endless. What was the range? Was it instantaneous?
He knew that the floo network was an element of control of travel but if he were able to market a method of crossing borders that was safe, fast but also had controls in place, or a system in place, he could make a fortune.
He had found the vanishing cabinet in the first floor as it had been sequestered away in one of the rooms on the first floor. Atticus had been appalled at this lack of security, even if it was damaged.
He had taken it and placed it within his trunk and had been working on repairing it for the last couple of weeks and he was getting close on fixing it. The runic sequences that made the cabinet possible were complicated and definitely had elements within its structure that were unnecessary.
Individuals who developed artefacts such as this would use irrelevant runic sequences that made deciphering intended outcome difficult to protect their intellectual property. The family who had developed the Vanishing Cabinets had protected the methodology under six different redundant sequences that made disentangling the runes difficult but not impossible.
Not long after they had developed the Cabinets, they ended up dying 'accidentally' in a fire that killed off the entire family. The magical world was ruthless.
He had no other project for this year outlined but he did have goals set that were to begin this year.
He had brought with him all of the books that were part of the curriculum in other schools. Many of them had subjects that were not taught in Hogwarts and he intended to start reading and practicing those magicks.
Illusion magic, Transmutation, Alchemy, Elemental Magic, Blood Magic, Warding and Healing magic were the prominent subjects. Interestingly enough Soul magic wasn't a subject taught anywhere but he had found out that it was a post magical school subject that was taught that passed screening.
He had found some books in the Library at home however and brought some of those books with him along with books on Necromancy. It seemed it was a required course for cursebreakers that worked with Gringotts which Atticus wonder why Dumbledore never brought Bill Weasley up to speed? Atticus frowned at himself. He knew why. But it wasn't an answer he liked.
In any case, most of the subjects he brought up were elective subjects with the exception of Alchemy in most schools around the world.
He wasn't going to neglect continuing his core subjects and of course Ancient Runes and Arithmancy but he was going to go at a pace that was more sensible and intended to complete a year every year from now on and supplement his learning with the other subjects.
In addition to all that, he intended to plan and execute his extracurricular activities.
He intended to kill the Basilisk before he left for the summer break. He had determined that the gaze of the Basilisk was rooted in Soul Magic. He would inscribe a set of blackened glasses that he brought with him with runes with the intended purpose of allowing him to see via echolocation.
It was a precaution as his primary method still was to kill it with the cry of a rooster at dawn. He had researched if it did indeed kill a Basilisk as it seemed one of those traps and so far every book he had read that had any clue regarding Basilisks made it seem like it wasn't false.
He had a feeling that Slytherin was a bastard though and it seemed possible that he had immunised his Basilisk from a rooster crow.
That would mean that he could be trapped with a thousand year old Basilisk that he tried to kill and he had no doubt the Basilisk would understand his actions. So no Basilisk killing until he completed his glasses which would circumvent the instant death by gaze. It was unlikely, after all the Riddle Diary had killed the roosters during the whole Chamber debacle.
During the Yule break, he intended to steal the Resurrection stone from the Gaunts. He had checked up on them and it was only Morfin who was still alive. He had Tweenie scope out the shack, and it really was a damn shack, it was shameful and clearly indicative of the mental decline of the Gaunts, and had found other than a few snakes, the place had no defences and he could just walk in and take the stone. He would brew a sleeping potion and have Tweenie deliver it and dose him while he waited.
He would then take the stone and replace it with a replica. He had a pretty good image of how it looked and he already had Tweenie find him some black stone that he could shape to match.
Obviously he could not use his wand so it would be a mission with only wandless magic. Luckily, his repertoire of wandless magic was pretty damn good and he was capable of wandless transfiguration, even if it was more limited comparatively.
He did all his magic with a wand and without it but he was getting to a point where he was unable of completing fifth year transfigurations or charms. Funnily enough, curses and jinxes were things that he had no real problem with. It was something to investigate.
On another note, Fila had been allowed to roam the grounds around the castle. Kettleburn had been excited to meet a Thunderbird which had been a common reaction. When he had introduced himself and mentioned he had a Thunderbird familiar, the Ravenclaws had been immensely interested in her.
He had introduced her but clearly stated to them all that she was rated at XXXX and that he would not stop her from protecting herself. He also made it clear he and his family would respond quite harshly should she be mistreated in anyway.
They had all understood clearly and accepted it all too well.
Fila hadn't taken any of them to her liking, except a girl in his year named Nymera Greengrass, a redheaded blue eyed girl who Atticus was certain would become a dead beauty once she was older.
Speaking about his year, he had made some acquaintances among his fellow Ravenclaws. Pyrites and Rowle proved to be decent conversationalist and fairly smart boys. Among the girls, Atticus had gotten well with Nymera Greengrass and Eden Macmillan who were both from the main branch that had hereditary Wizengamot seats.
They definitely had an air of snobbishness to them but it wasn't as bad as he had witnessed in a numerous functions he had attended when he was 8 to 11 years of age. They were both not from the main branch though they were nieces to the Lord of the houses.
He had met up with Dorea a few weeks ago when he had come across her. He had befriended her during some of the events they were both at and he found her to be a smart but considerate person, a far cry in comparison to the majority of her family. She was thriving in Slytherin from what he could tell and didn't involve herself in the politics.
She often complained at times regarding the whole situation about how Slytherins were being Slytherins which had been amusing. Lucretia had joined them on one of the occasions and she was doing well herself.
She knew quite a number of the girls that were in her year so it wasn't all that daunting for her. Plus she had her sibling only a couple of years above her. Interestingly enough Charlus Potter was a few years above in Gryffindor.
As far as he knew, Charlus and Dorea would marry though he wasn't sure if they would have children.
Atticus made his way into his bedroom after a tiring Wednesday. Over the last month, he had spent it roaming all across the castle familiarising himself with it all. He would have to do again once he gets the map sorted but he enjoyed the walks.
The castle felt...not quite like the manor but there was a feeling to the castle...he was not surprised considering how magical the place felt. He wondered if it was a process that was a thousand years in the making or whether it had felt similar when it finished being built.
He would need to learn many things if he wanted his Asgard – he hadn't decided on a name yet – and one of them was definitely magical construction. There were a number of construction teams that were hired by the Goblins that did almost of the building of anything greater than a standard home.
The question was whether they knew how to imbue magic the way Hogwarts had been built. He would ask his charms professor at some point to see what he knew of the subject.
Speaking of home, he had informed his family of the sorting and they had pretty much assumed that he would get into Ravenclaw with the only thing that would hinder that would be his ambition being stronger getting him sorted in Slytherin.
He yawned and made his way into his bed.
On Friday after classes he would finally go into the Room of Requirement. He had many plans for that place. He wanted to discover the full capabilities of the thing and he wanted to build his own once he left Hogwarts.