Friday, 4th October, 1991
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry
In the quiet library, Altair sat in the corner, reading a book on Unorthodox Charms, which was quite an interesting read.
Suddenly, he heard a pair of footsteps approaching him, and someone put down a heavy book on the table before taking a seat adjacent to him.
Even though she pretended to read, she kept sneaking glances at him, and he eventually smiled.
"Good afternoon, Hermione."
"Good afternoon," she greeted him back, and then stood up to come and sit next to him. "What are you reading?"
"Unorthodox Charms by Morgelyn Gaunt," he informed her. "Many of the charms she recorded in this book from her travels around the world became a basis for modern charms that we use today. For example, Scourgify."
"Oh..." she leaned over with interest, but frowned as she failed to read the book because of the strange, archaic style of writing and language. "Don't you have Transfiguration class right now?"
"Yes."
"You are skipping your class?" she looked at him in amazement.
"No. I have Professor McGonagall's permission not to attend her class this year. I only have to attend when there is a test."
"You were punished?"
Altair glanced at her, met her eyes, and raised his brow at her.
"In which world does permission mean punishment, dearest Hermione?"
She blushed a little in embarrassment and pouted as she pulled back.
"Why do you have such permission?"
"I am good at Transfiguration, and I already know everything that is to be taught this year."
"Oh. I saw the Fifth Year students learning about the Vanishing Charm. They say it is part of Transfiguration. They can make mice disappear."
"Yes. Evanesco is a core field of Transfiguration and is taught in the fifth year."
"Does it really make animated and inanimate objects disappear?"
"You are a First Year student, Hermione," he smiled at her.
"I just want to know," she looked at him hopefully.
"The Vanishing Spell does not make things invisible. It makes things cease to exist. It removes them from the plane of existence."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that the spell is used to undo the very fabric of existence of things. For inanimate objects, it is reversible through another field of Transfiguration that is Conjuration, a highly complex field that not many can understand."
"What about living things?"
"Complete vanishing of a living thing, like a mouse, is irreversible. Once the body ceases to exist, the soul leaves it and never returns to it. Insects are an exception to this case, which is why it is believed that insects do not have souls."
Hermione's face went pale in fear, and her lips trembled.
"They... kill mice?"
"And ferrets, and iguanas... and more," he nodded.
"Why?" she gulped nervously, and he sighed.
"It's to make them understand the importance of life. At the end of fifth year, you will see a lot of depressed faces when the truth becomes apparent to them. It's also necessary to help build your character, help you identify your limits, and make your heart stronger for times that might require such will."
"But..."
"It does not work on magical things and beings or even Muggles."
Those words did make her feel better, and then she just silently sat by his side, lost in her thoughts.
"What's your favourite class?"
"Charms," she sweetly said. "It's fun."
"Anyone in your class who can match you?"
"Daphne and Laetitia. They are... exceptional. Surprisingly, Draco is not bad either."
"You don't like my cousin?" he chuckled, and she nervously nodded her head.
"He's... too proud and thinks it is beneath him to talk to Muggle-borns. Pansy is worse than him, though. She is a bully."
"They bullied you?"
"They say things... just comments," she nervously said.
"Like what?"
"She calls me Miss-Know-It-All, Attention-Seeker..."
Altair listened and smiled.
"Ignore them, but if they cross the line, let me know," he gently said, and she nodded her head in relief.
"It's not so bad. Ron made Slytherins seem like some evil spawn. I never trusted him, but I was scared. He's stupid and constantly talks nonsense about you and your house."
"I see," he nodded, focusing on the book, and she curiously looked at him.
"You are not upset?"
"Why would I be upset?"
"He talks badly of you. A lot of Gryffindors do."
"So?"
"You really don't care?"
"Why would I care what people I don't care about say?" he smiled. "But yes, I would be upset if you were to say those things about me."
"I won't!" she quickly shook her head. "I am not stupid."
"True," he nodded, and then they both laughed, as quietly as possible.
"Gryffindor has finalised their Seeker for this year," she informed him. "It was put on the Notice Board when I was coming here."
"Oh, have they now?" he smiled. "They have already delayed the start of the Quidditch season by three weekends."
"Tomorrow's the first match. Hufflepuff vs Ravenclaw."
"Hufflepuff will likely win."
"Why?"
"Cedric is a brilliant Seeker. He can win games on his own, and Hufflepuff's team is the second-best team right now."
"Which is the first?"
"Don't you know?" he teasingly asked, and she giggled.
"I shall see how good you are on Sunday."
"Of course," he nodded and turned the page over.
"I am not disturbing you, am I?"
"No," he glanced at her and smiled.
"Have you passed the Trials for the Quadrivium Cup?"
"No, and I don't need to."
"Why?"
"I am the reigning Primus and Gemini Cup Champion. Champions don't need to go through Trials," he smiled. "And I am not participating in the Quadrivium Cup."
"Primus and Gemini again?"
"Yes."
"Who is going to be your partner?"
"Aurelia."
"Draco's sister?"
"Yes."
"Does she hate Muggle-borns too?"
Altair chuckled at her words and shook his head.
"Draco doesn't hate Muggle-borns either, Hermione. There are some things that are not in your control. He is just not in a position to show any favours to Muggle-borns. It's something to do with his father's politics."
Even though she could not entirely understand his words, she still nodded her head.
"As for Aurelia, her father's politics is of no concern to her. She belongs to House Black and me," he lightly said. "But yes, she does not like associating with Muggle-borns primarily because they judge our customs, traditions, and ways of life from the perspective of Muggles."
"Oh..."
Hermione wanted to ask him something when she noticed two Fifth Year Ravenclaws approach them.
"Yes, Mister Hilliard? Miss Clearwater?"
"Master Black." The two courteously bowed to him, and when he gestured for them to sit, they sat adjacent to him and Hermione. "Do you perhaps happen to have knowledge about Vanishment?" the boy asked, clearly looking hopeful, and Hermione's eyes widened in surprise.
"What do you wish to know?" Altair politely asked as he closed the book he was reading.
Penelope then told him how hard they were finding the Transfiguration class lately, and for the next hour and a half, Altair ran them through everything they had learned in the past month, clearing all their doubts and helping them build a better understanding of Vanishment.
When they finished the discussion over the day's lecture, overwhelmed with deep gratitude, both bowed to him and took their leave.
Hermione had been pretending to read her own book, but her focus was always on Altair and his words, and she sweetly smiled at him.
"You will make a great Professor one day."
"I don't want to be a Professor. That's a tiresome life."
"Then?"
"Who knows what life has in store for me?" he shrugged.
She giggled and then nodded her head.
"Why did they approach you for help in Transfiguration?" she curiously asked.
"I think, except for the First Years, almost everyone somewhat believes that I am good at Transfiguration. Ravenclaws have a thirst for knowledge, and they don't hesitate to seek it even from those younger than them."
"But why does everyone believe that you are good at Transfiguration?" she was confused.
"You can go ask your Head of House," he mischievously said and opened the book on Unorthodox Charms again. "You should go now, Hermione. Your classmate, Miss Brown, saw you just now and she has run away. I am sure she is not up to anything good."
Her head darted towards the door of the library, and then she nervously stood up to leave.
Altair watched her desolate back as she left the library and sighed in his heart.
He stayed reading the book until evening and then left the library to head to the Great Hall.
Hermione was there, sitting amongst the First Year Gryffindors, looking very depressed, almost hurt, and he sighed again in his heart.
This was why he was hoping his premonition would prove wrong and she would choose Ravenclaw, but now the choice was made and she had to live with it.
"Where were you?" Cho curiously asked as he took his seat next to her, and Laetitia, who was sitting adjacent to them, perked up her ears.
"Library. How was Transfiguration?"
"It was fun. A few Gryffindors complained about your absence, and Professor McGonagall shut them down."
Altair nodded and glanced at the table that displayed the House Points.
Slytherin were leading, with Ravenclaw and Gryffindor close behind, and Hufflepuff were not far off either. These were all based on conduct and academic performance so far, so changes were bound to happen after the results of official competitions.
"Potter has been selected as the Seeker of Gryffindor," Aurelia informed him. "He will be playing against us on Sunday."
He nodded and glanced at Choxue, who grinned at him.
"I want to, but you can have this one. Those Gryffindors are talking too much, and Draco overheard some claim that Potter can even beat you."
"Well, Lions are known for their confidence, not their intelligence," he commented, and everyone around him shared a laugh, agreeing with those words.
Altair excused himself early from the table when he saw Padma Patil get up and leave, and he followed her into the antechamber, where she was washing her hands.
"Miss Patil," he greeted her, using the sink next to hers, and she instantly became very nervous and quickly curtsied to him.
"My Lord."
She knew that they belonged to him. Her parents had sat them both down and explained everything to them before they came to Hogwarts.
Still, being only eleven years old, the mere thought of being enslaved terrified them.
"Relax," he gently said to her. "I just have a request for your sister, and I want you to convey my words to her."
"Of course."
"I want Parvati to be friends with Hermione Granger. I don't want Miss Granger to feel lonely in the Lions' Den," he put his words as clearly as possible. "And I hope that my request will not reach a third ear."
"It's not a problem. I will talk to her," she promised.
"Thank you." He gently took her right hand and planted a kiss on her knuckles. "If you need any help, don't hesitate to ask."
"Thank you, My Lord." She managed to smile, and he excused himself to return to the Great Hall.
A short while after he took his seat, Padma entered the Hall and walked over to the Gryffindor table, requesting her sister to come with her, and the two quietly left the hall.
By the time the Slytherins headed back to their dormitory, Parvati was already having a conversation with Hermione, which pleased Altair a lot.
Even though they were his slaves and he could order them around as he pleased, he was not unkind. That evening, he prepared two beautiful bracelets for the twins in the colours of their Houses, and he had Rinky deliver them to their bedsides with a note from him.
The next day, he saw the two wearing beautiful smiles at breakfast, and his gifts were on their wrists as they sat together with Hermione at the Gryffindor table.