On the first morning after moving in, I woke up late.
On the second, too.
By the third, Evelyn had decided I was finally beginning to keep sensible hours.
Frederick disagreed. I didn't let it bother me.
I did discover something that should have been obvious much earlier: the estate was a considerably nicer place when I didn't have to leave it every day.
I could stay in the library late into the evening without wondering how much time I had before I needed to go back. In the morning, I came down for breakfast, then returned to the book I'd left beside my armchair. There was no packing to do, no checking whether I'd brought the right notebook.
Anunu settled into the new routine faster than I did.
By the very next day, he had stopped asking what time I wanted to return to the orphanage. Instead, he began taking an interest in when I intended to go to bed.
I suspected Evelyn's influence.
Neither of them admitted anything.
On the fourth morning, Joseph asked me to come to the study.
Three ledgers, several loose sheets of parchment, and a small plan of the estate were waiting on the table. Edmund occupied the portrait beside the window, while Joseph sat in a painted armchair opposite.
I stopped in the doorway.
"Has something happened?"
"No," Joseph replied. "We wanted to discuss a few expenses."
I looked at the ledgers.
"Should I be worried?"
"That depends on how much you intend to spend."
"Nothing at the moment."
"Then we're off to a good start."
I sat down. Anunu placed a cup of tea beside me and opened the first ledger.
The page contained a breakdown of the house's running costs. I recognised some entries from earlier conversations with Joseph. Others were new to me.
"We've gone through the more recent records," he said. "Anunu handles most of the day-to-day work, but cleaning won't solve everything."
"Is something damaged?"
"A few minor issues. Mostly in the older part of the building."
Anunu unfolded the plan, and Joseph asked me to find the west wing.
"The rooms upstairs have been unused for some time. One of the walls has begun letting in damp. It isn't urgent, but eventually it could damage the timber and the things stored there."
"What do we keep in there?"
"Old furnishings, furniture, and a few chests of documents that were never moved to the archive."
I looked at Anunu.
"Are the documents safe?"
"Anunu checked the chests, Master Oliver. They are dry."
"And the wall?"
"Needs repairing," Edmund replied. "There is no reason to put it off simply because the building is large enough for us to avoid one room for the next ten years."
"I wasn't planning to."
"Very good."
At Joseph's request, I picked up the next sheet.
"The second matter is an inspection of the wards."
That interested me more.
"Has something stopped working?"
"No," Edmund replied. "But these things should be checked before they do."
There were several marks along the boundaries of the estate on the plan. I didn't understand all of them.
"Anunu can carry out a basic inspection," Joseph explained. "He knows the wards and which ones need regular maintenance. For more complicated work, we would have to consult the old instructions."
"Do we need someone from outside?"
"There's no need for that at present," Edmund said. "This is an inspection, not a redesign."
I studied the markings for a moment.
"How long will the repairs take?"
"A few days, if there is no further damage," Anunu replied.
"And moving the documents?"
"Anunu can do that today."
I nodded.
"Then let's move the chests somewhere dry and repair the wall. We should check the wards before I leave for Hogwarts, too."
Joseph looked pleased.
"Don't you want to inspect the damage first?" Edmund asked.
"I do. But I don't know how to repair a three-hundred-year-old wall protected by magic. I'm not going to pretend I know more about it than Anunu."
The elf straightened proudly.
"Anunu knows this house very well, Master Oliver!"
"Exactly."
Edmund nodded.
"Then all that remains is to establish the cost of materials."
I drew the ledger closer.
For the next half-hour, we discussed a few smaller expenses. Most concerned maintenance, replacing damaged furnishings, and stocking up for winter.
I hadn't expected owning a home to involve so many decisions about things I'd never even thought about.
On the other hand, it was difficult to complain.
For the first time, someone was asking not only what I needed, but what I intended to do with the place where I lived.
And they actually waited for an answer.
A few days later, I was going through another batch of family documents with Nathaniel.
We were still sorting out the material on past research around Hogwarts. We had found several references to the Forbidden Forest, but none that conclusively linked the places described to the stone where I'd discovered the Trace.
Nathaniel refused to guess. I was trying not to either.
I was comparing two dates when I felt something strange.
Not pain. More like a brief tug, as though someone had gently pulled on an invisible thread.
My quill stopped.
The sensation had come from outside. I couldn't place the direction, yet I was certain it concerned something beyond the walls of the house.
"Nathaniel?"
He looked up.
"Yes?"
"I just felt something."
He studied me more closely.
"Your eye?"
"No. As though something moved at the edge of the estate."
"On the family road?"
"Possibly. I can't tell exactly."
"Anything else?"
I shook my head.
"I just suddenly knew something had happened."
Nathaniel relaxed a little.
"Most likely, someone has stepped onto the road."
I glanced towards the window.
"A stranger?"
"Were you expecting guests?"
"No."
"Then probably someone from the nearby village. Muggles wander in from time to time. Wizards with business here generally write first."
"Do people often try to walk through?"
"There have always been people convinced the road leads somewhere interesting."
"It does."
"Yes. Just not for them."
I put down my quill.
"What happens to them?"
"They begin losing their way. The first layer of protection makes the route difficult to recognise. A bend looks familiar; a path seems to lead somewhere it doesn't. Most people turn back before they get very far."
"An illusion?"
"Partly. The wards also affect how a traveller remembers the route."
I considered that.
"And if someone's stubborn?"
"They have a longer walk ahead of them. The further they go, the harder it becomes to find the way out, but they find it eventually. That layer is meant to deter people, not trap them for ever."
It sounded reasonable.
From our perspective, at least.
"What about a wizard? If they tried using a spell to help?"
"A simple navigation spell won't trigger a defensive response. An attempt to damage the wards is another matter. Then the magic may disperse the spell or respond directly to the attack."
"Respond how?"
"That depends on where and how the wards are attacked."
I looked at him.
"That's a very convenient answer."
"And an accurate one. I can't explain the entire system to you while we're sitting at a desk."
"We could go and—"
"Look at the markings during the inspection. Certainly."
I smiled.
"Exactly what I was going to say."
"Naturally."
I glanced towards the window again. I hadn't felt anything else.
"Should I do something now?"
"There's no need to go out onto the road. If someone tried to breach the wards, the warning would be much stronger. Anunu recognises those signals as well."
I nodded and returned to the documents.
After a few minutes, I managed to concentrate on the dates again. No further warning came, so I assumed our uninvited visitor had found the way back.
The rest of August passed surprisingly quickly.
Repairing the west wing took Anunu less time than he'd expected. While moving the chests, he found documents Joseph thought worth examining more closely.
That cost us another afternoon of accounts and correspondence.
Edmund was delighted. I was considerably less so.
The inspection turned up nothing wrong with the wards. Nathaniel took the opportunity to show me some of the markings and explain the differences between the protection around the building itself and the magic covering the surrounding land.
He didn't try to explain everything. Apparently, that would have taken much longer.
Frederick thought this was an excellent argument for more practice.
Evelyn disagreed.
My study schedule became the subject of family negotiations once again. At least this time they asked my opinion before reaching a decision.
I was making progress.
I found it increasingly easy to recognise the remnants of old spells, though Nathaniel still picked out details I'd missed. Frederick placed more and more emphasis on using power efficiently. Achieving the intended result wasn't enough. He also wanted to know how much effort it had taken and whether I could do better.
That suited me.
My eyes weren't causing any serious trouble. Longer sessions sometimes left me tired, but I was getting better at recognising when to stop.
I still wanted to discover what else they could do. I just didn't have to find out in a single afternoon.
I had time.
At least, I hoped I did.
Towards the end of August, I began preparing to return to Hogwarts.
The school supply list had been on my desk for a while. I already owned most of what I needed, but I was still missing several textbooks.
I read the titles.
Then read them again.
Gilderoy Lockhart.
Of course.
I wondered how he had persuaded the school to require almost his entire bibliography for a single subject.
As a feat of marketing, it was impressive.
As an educational decision, I had my doubts.
I put the list down, but my eyes kept returning to the name.
Lockhart meant second year.
The Chamber of Secrets, the basilisk, and Tom Riddle's diary.
One year had been enough to teach me that remembering the plot didn't protect me from everything. I'd known who Quirrell was and what Voldemort wanted. Even so, I'd ended up considerably closer to both of them than I'd intended.
This time, at least, I had a chance to think.
I remembered the diary ending up with Ginny Weasley. I also remembered who had put it there.
Lucius Malfoy.
Draco's father.
I leaned back in my chair.
I'd been to his house. Spoken to him. Taken his advice. None of that had made me forget whose side he was on, but the thought of him slipping one of Voldemort's possessions to an eleven-year-old girl was still unpleasant.
I just didn't know whether he'd done it yet.
I hadn't seen the diary. I hadn't seen Ginny either.
If I got hold of it, I could hand it over to Dumbledore. I didn't have to find a way to destroy a Horcrux myself. First, though, I would have to locate it, then somehow explain why I considered an ordinary diary so dangerous.
Asking the Headmaster to search the belongings of a girl I'd never even spoken to would take more than a hunch.
I rubbed my temple.
First, I would return to school. See whether things looked the way I remembered.
In the book, it had all taken months. There had been time for suspicions, rumours, and one false lead after another. At least I knew what to look for.
That thought reassured me more than it should have.
Then I remembered Hermione lying motionless in the hospital wing.
I knew she recovered. That didn't mean I wanted to see her like that.
I reached for a notebook and wrote down a few things.
Diary.
Ginny Weasley.
Chamber of Secrets.
Basilisk.
My quill paused over the last word.
An enormous snake that had lived beneath the school since the Founders' time. Before, I'd thought of it mainly as a monster from a book. Now, thinking about the old wards around the house was enough to make me wonder what sort of magic lay hidden beneath Hogwarts.
I added:
Do not look it in the eyes.
That needed no further consideration.
I didn't know how my abilities would react to a basilisk's gaze, and I had no intention of testing them by opening my eyes in front of its jaws.
I closed the notebook and put it in a drawer.
For now, I could get ready to go back. I didn't need to work out an entire plan based on memories I couldn't yet check.
I just had to pay closer attention this time.
On the thirtieth of August, I went to Diagon Alley.
Anunu offered to buy everything for me. I thanked him, but declined.
I liked Diagon Alley. I also wanted to visit the bookshop, and sending an elf with a list of books I hadn't chosen yet seemed unnecessarily complicated.
He took me to a side street near the Leaky Cauldron.
"Is Master Oliver certain he does not need help?"
"I'll manage."
"Anunu could carry the shopping."
"I'm not planning to buy the entire shop."
The elf looked at me.
For a moment, I wondered whether Joseph had told him about my earlier purchases.
"Really."
"Of course, sir."
"I'll call you when I'm finished."
He bowed and vanished.
The street looked much as it had the previous year. Witches and wizards squeezed between shops, children stared at window displays, and traders tried to shout over their competitors.
Outside a school supply shop, two children were arguing over the colour of their ink. Their mother looked as though she was beginning to regret not having done the shopping a week earlier.
I passed them and headed for the apothecary.
I needed a few potion ingredients and a new set of vials. Some of my old ones were still at Hogwarts; I'd used the rest while practising over the summer.
A witch stood at the counter, examining small parcels. She looked up as I came in.
She watched me for a moment, then glanced back, more closely this time.
I noticed, but didn't react.
I asked for what I needed. The shopkeeper measured out the ingredients, wrapped them, and gave me the bill.
The witch was still beside me, though she'd returned to her shopping. Only as I left did I catch her turning her head again.
My eyes had been attracting attention for a long time. Usually, I just had to wait for people to lose interest.
Outside, I passed a man carrying several parcels under his arm. He looked at me, slowed, then glanced over his shoulder.
I kept walking.
When I looked back a few steps later, he had stopped beside a nearby shop window.
I shrugged.
People were strange. I was hardly the best person to judge them for it.
Flourish and Blotts was crowded. I squeezed between the shelves and found the section for Hogwarts students.
Lockhart's name appeared on one shelf.
And the next.
And the one after that.
I glanced from the list to the books. If the author was paid extra for every copy with his face on the cover, he must have been a very wealthy man.
I reached for the first required title.
Gilderoy Lockhart smiled at me.
I took down the second. That one smiled too.
The third looked particularly pleased with himself.
"At least they all agree," I muttered.
I stacked the books and carried them to the till. I had no illusions about their educational value, but the school required specific textbooks.
Perhaps they would at least give me something to laugh at.
The bookseller looked at the pile.
"Second year at Hogwarts?"
"Yes."
"A lot of Professor Lockhart's books."
"I noticed."
He smiled politely.
"I hear his lessons will be very interesting."
"I don't doubt it."
I was being entirely sincere about that.
As he reached for wrapping paper, I noticed an elderly wizard beside the neighbouring shelf. He was looking my way.
Our eyes met briefly. The man blinked and returned his attention to the book in his hands.
I glanced at my reflection in the glass behind the counter.
My hair looked fine. So did my clothes. My eyes looked the same as ever.
Perhaps I should buy sunglasses.
Evelyn would probably consider it rude to wear them indoors. Frederick, on the other hand, might see an opportunity for a new exercise.
I preferred not to give him ideas.
I collected my books and left.
The rest of the shopping went quickly. I bought parchment, ink, a few ordinary quills, and the odds and ends I needed for lessons. For a moment, I considered another book on protective enchantments, but eventually put it back.
I had enough to read. Besides, there were things waiting at home that this textbook probably didn't come close to covering.
On the way back, I stopped for something sweet. I sat at a table and watched the passers-by for a while.
The clink of coins mingled with conversation and children's laughter. Someone was advertising a product whose purpose I couldn't work out from the description.
A year ago, I'd walked down this street for the first time.
I'd had a wand, money, and a surname whose significance I was only beginning to understand. Now I also had a home, a family, and a fairly impressive collection of legal documents.
I wasn't sure that last one was something to be proud of.
Edmund would probably think so.
I finished my dessert and checked the list. Nothing was missing.
Anunu appeared a moment after I called him.
"Has Master Oliver finished?"
"Yes."
He looked at the bags.
"Anunu will carry them."
I handed him the heavier purchases. His face brightened at once.
"Everything bought, sir?"
"I think so. If not, I'll remember on the first of September."
"Anunu can go back!"
"There's no need."
I took his hand. A moment later, we were standing in the entrance hall.
I gave him the remaining parcels and headed upstairs. Only when I reached the landing did I remember the looks I'd received in Diagon Alley.
Three people. Perhaps four over the whole day.
I paused, then carried on.
No one had even tried to speak to me. I saw no reason to dwell on it.
On the last day of August, Anunu decided to pack my trunk.
There would have been nothing unusual about that if he hadn't already done it the previous evening.
I found him in my bedroom beside the open trunk. Three piles of clothes lay nearby, and the elf was checking a drawer.
"What are you doing?"
He spun round.
"Master Oliver leaves tomorrow!"
"I know."
"Anunu is getting everything ready."
"You did that yesterday."
"Anunu is checking."
I looked around.
"Checking what, exactly?"
"That Master Oliver has enough clothes."
"I think so."
"For the whole term?"
"Yes."
"For winter?"
"Anunu, I'll be back for Christmas."
The elf went still.
"Master Oliver will come back?"
I looked at him.
"Of course."
For a moment, he seemed about to ask something else. Then he nodded.
"Anunu will have the room ready."
"The room is already ready."
"For Master Oliver's return."
I smiled.
"Excellent, then."
I tried to help with the clothes, but he refolded every piece, far more neatly. After a few attempts, I left him to it and turned to the books.
Lockhart's textbooks took up considerably more space than they deserved. I put them at the bottom of the trunk, then reached for my notebooks and school supplies.
The folder was the last thing left.
The Founders' Act, the register extract, confirmation of my rights as heir, and the guardianship regulations.
I didn't expect to need them during lessons, but Edmund had expressly advised taking copies. After everything that had happened, I thought it worth listening to him.
I left the official Ministry copies in the desk. The duplicates we'd made of the most important documents went into a thinner folder, which I slipped into my shoulder bag.
Anunu watched with interest.
"Are those important documents, Master Oliver?"
"Yes. I want them within reach."
"Anunu will keep the bag safe."
"Thank you."
When we finished, the room felt a little emptier, but nothing like my room at the orphanage after I'd moved out.
There were still books on the shelves, clothes in the wardrobe, and notes on the desk. I was taking only some of my things.
I would be back, after all.
After lunch, I visited Frederick.
I hadn't planned on practising. I wanted to say goodbye before leaving.
Frederick had other ideas.
"Since you're here, we could repeat the last exercise."
"I'm leaving tomorrow."
"I know."
"I wanted to rest."
"It won't take long."
I gave him a suspicious look.
"You said that last time."
"And I was right."
"We practised for two hours."
"In the course of a lifetime, that isn't long."
I wasn't going to argue over his chosen timescale. I simply refused.
He sighed with exaggerated disappointment.
"You're beginning to pick up bad habits."
"From you?"
He laughed.
"I hope so."
We talked about Hogwarts for a while. He reminded me of a few points about controlling my magic and warned me not to repeat exercises I hadn't properly mastered without supervision.
I remarked that he sounded rather like Evelyn.
He wasn't pleased with the comparison.
Nathaniel had prepared a list of materials to look for in the school library. Some concerned the area around Hogwarts; the rest dealt with earlier research into magical traces.
"You don't have to look through everything at once," he said.
I glanced at the parchment.
"That almost sounds as though you're encouraging me to rest."
"To be thorough."
"For a moment, I thought something had changed."
He smiled.
"Not that much."
I said goodbye and went to the study.
Anunu was showing Edmund and Joseph another batch of accounts. When he saw me, he lowered the sheet he was holding.
"Have you packed the documents?" Edmund asked.
"Copies. In a separate folder, in my shoulder bag."
He regarded me for a moment.
"That went surprisingly smoothly."
"I'm surprised too."
Joseph laughed. Edmund sighed, though his expression softened a moment later.
"If the Ministry contacts you, don't answer in haste. Keep the correspondence. If they demand anything, establish exactly what they want and on what authority."
"I understand."
"The Founders' Act grants you certain rights. It does not relieve you of the need for common sense."
"That may be the hardest condition to meet."
This time, even Edmund smiled faintly.
"Make an effort, at least."
"I promise."
He didn't ask whether I meant it.
Good.
I spent the evening in the library.
Richard was reading his newspaper. Judging by the date, the events it described were about sixty years old. Apparently, he still found something of interest in them.
Evelyn sat in the neighbouring portrait with her knitting in her lap.
I settled into the armchair by the window and opened the book I still hadn't finished. For a while, the only sound was the turning of pages.
"Is everything packed?" Grandma eventually asked.
"Yes."
"Are you sure?"
"Anunu checked three times."
"Good."
She returned to her knitting for a moment.
"Perhaps he should check once more."
I looked up.
"Grandma."
"I'm joking, darling."
Richard smiled over his newspaper.
I wasn't entirely convinced she was joking.
"Will you come home for Christmas?" she asked.
"Of course."
"You're not planning to stay at Hogwarts?"
"I've only just moved in. I'm not spending another Christmas away from home."
She smiled and said nothing for a moment.
Richard folded his newspaper.
"What are your plans for second year?"
I considered that.
"I'd like to learn more Defence Against the Dark Arts. Assuming the new professor is any use."
"Do you have reason to doubt him?"
"Have you read Gilderoy Lockhart's books?"
"Not that I recall."
"Lucky you."
Evelyn chuckled.
"Don't judge a man before you've met him."
"Of course, Grandma."
In my case, that was a little more complicated than she realised.
"What else?" Richard asked.
"Transfiguration, Charms. The books on Nathaniel's list. And perhaps I'll finally beat you at chess."
My grandfather raised his eyebrows.
"At Hogwarts?"
"I have to practise somewhere."
"A good idea."
I gave him a suspicious look.
"Aren't you a little too confident?"
"Possibly."
"Want to bet?"
Evelyn looked up immediately.
"No."
"I haven't said what we'd be betting yet."
"Exactly."
Richard laughed.
I put down my book.
"Can we at least play?"
"With pleasure."
I didn't win.
But I didn't lose my queen this time.
I counted that as progress.
When it grew late, Evelyn reminded me about the journey. I told the pieces to return to their places and stood up.
"Will Anunu take you to King's Cross in the morning?" Richard asked.
"Yes. We've agreed on a time."
"Good."
"I'm not planning to miss the train."
"I didn't say you were."
"Yet."
He smiled and reached for his newspaper again.
"Remember to write," Evelyn said.
"I will."
"Not just when you need something."
"I know."
I was about to say goodnight when something occurred to me.
"Actually… how do I address the letters?"
Grandma looked up.
"To us?"
"Yes. Hedwig knows the way and can fly in, but what if I use a school owl? Is 'Peverell Estate' enough?"
Evelyn glanced at Richard.
"Have you explained how our post works?"
He lowered the newspaper.
"We haven't discussed it."
"The boy leaves tomorrow."
"Which is why he's asking today."
She looked at him.
Richard carefully folded his newspaper.
"There's a postbox near the beginning of the family road," he said. "Outside the estate's main wards. Just address the letter to the house. A post owl will find the box."
"And leave it there?"
"Yes. The enchantments screen the delivery, then transfer it to the house. The owl doesn't need to cross the protected boundary."
I considered that.
"So a letter can be delivered without anyone finding the house itself."
"Precisely."
"Anunu collects the post," Evelyn added. "He brings our letters to the portraits so we can read them."
I nodded.
A clever arrangement.
"And Hedwig can still come straight here?"
"Of course, darling. She has permission."
I looked from one to the other.
"You've explained centuries-old wards, shown me the accounts, and helped me find an Act from seventeen hundred and seven. I'm learning about the postbox the day before I leave."
Richard laughed.
"I admit we should have mentioned it," Evelyn said.
"At least we got there in time."
"And now you have no excuse not to write."
I looked at her.
I was beginning to suspect the conversation hadn't entirely worked in my favour.
"Understood."
"Good. And don't overwork yourself."
"I'll try."
"I'm not sure that's enough."
"Grandma, I promise I'll sleep."
Richard turned his head, plainly trying to hide a smile.
Evelyn sighed.
"I would rather you didn't treat sleep as another school assignment."
"I won't."
She moved closer to the edge of the frame.
"Take care of yourself, Oliver."
I looked at her for a moment.
"I will."
This time, she seemed satisfied.
Richard inclined his head.
"Have a good second year, grandson."
"Thank you."
"Try not to spend all of it in the hospital wing."
"That's part of the plan too."
"Excellent."
Anunu was waiting in the hall.
"Is Master Oliver ready for the journey?"
"Yes."
"The trunk is packed. Hedwig's cage is ready. Breakfast will be served in the morning. Anunu will also prepare food for the journey."
"They sell food on the train."
The elf looked almost offended.
"Anunu knows, Master Oliver."
"Then…"
"Master Oliver might be hungry before the train."
I couldn't think of a good answer to that.
"One parcel."
"Yes, sir!"
"One."
"Anunu understands."
I didn't believe him.
My closed trunk was waiting in the bedroom. Hedwig sat on her perch by the window, preening. She looked up as I came in.
"We're going back to Hogwarts tomorrow."
She hooted.
"I'm looking forward to it too."
My shoulder bag lay on the desk with the documents inside. The books I was leaving behind stood on the shelves.
For a moment, I wondered whether there was anything else to prepare.
I couldn't think of anything.
Last year, leaving for Hogwarts had meant escaping the orphanage and entering a world I knew mostly from books. Now I knew the school corridors, had friends, and knew what to expect from most of the teachers.
I also knew more about my family and my eyes, though I hadn't liked all the answers.
I looked at Hedwig.
"Make sure Anunu doesn't pack half the kitchen for us tomorrow."
She tilted her head. She didn't look interested.
"Can't count on you either, then."
She gave a distinctly disapproving hoot.
I smiled and put out the lamp.
Tomorrow meant the train, familiar faces, and a return to school. Probably a few problems I would rather avoid, too. I had no illusions about second year being peaceful.
But as I got into bed, I thought of the books I was leaving on the shelf and the chessboard in the library.
I knew where I would be coming home for Christmas.
With that thought, I fell asleep.