Hogwarts - One Week After
The morning after his first week at Hogwarts dawned in a soft haze. sunlight spilled across the tall windows of Hufflepuff's dormitories, filtered through stained glass panes shaped into badgers and curling vines. For most students, the weekend promised a lazy breakfast and an even lazier day. But Ambrose awoke as he always did - before dawn.
His white hair caught the candlelight as he rose, and his golden-red eyes glowed faintly in the shadows. He had already dressed by the time Cedric stirred. His dormmate groaned, burying his face in his pillow before peeking one bleary eye at Ambrose.
"You wake earlier than even the roosters" Cedric muttered, his voice muffled.
Ambrose smiled faintly, tightening the cuff of his robe. "The roosters are late compared to me"
Cedric snorted but dragged himself upright. He'd grown used to Ambrose's unusual rhythm in only a matter of days. The boy wasn't boastful, but everything about him radiated quiet confidence - the way he moved with precision, the way his eyes seemed to catch truths others missed. Cedric had always considered himself reliable, hardworking, the sort people trusted. But Ambrose… Ambrose carried a weight he couldn't quite name. Not heavy like burden, but steady, like someone who had stood in storms no one else could see.
Elly entered the room, carrying fresh clothes folded neatly in her arms. Amma followed with breakfast on a silver tray, steam curling from a kettle of tea.
Cedric's eyebrows rose as the two maids bustled about. He still wasn't used to it - two women, graceful as noble attendants, serving a boy who looked their age. Yet the naturalness between them and Ambrose made it hard to think of them as out of place. Elly fussed over his collar. Amma adjusted the silver clasp on his robe. Ambrose tolerated it all with the patience of someone who'd endured it his whole life.
Cedric couldn't help but chuckle. "You look like you're preparing for a council meeting, not a Saturday breakfast."
"In my family," Ambrose replied smoothly, "every meal is a council meeting."
It was meant as a joke, but Cedric could almost believe it.
---
The Great Hall hummed with the easy chaos of weekend chatter. Students lounged more than sat, some in house robes, others in simple clothes, plates piled with bacon and toast. The enchanted ceiling reflected a pale blue sky dotted with streaks of cloud. Oliver Fairbourne, already mid-bite of a sausage, waved enthusiastically as Ambrose and Cedric arrived.
"Over here!" Oliver called, nearly spilling pumpkin juice as he scooted aside.
Noah Prewett sat opposite him, posture rigid, fork poised like a duelist's blade. His green eyes flicked to Ambrose, then down to his plate, then back again - like a man torn between courtesy and wariness. The Prewett boy had been guarded since their first meeting, speaking politely but never too much, weighing every word.
Ambrose slid gracefully onto the bench beside Oliver, Cedric opposite. Amma and Elly appeared behind them with casual elegance, vanishing once Ambrose waved them off. Around them, whispers rose again - students pointing at Ambrose's snow-white hair, murmuring about the glowing eyes, casting glances at the servants who melted into air. Oliver either didn't notice or didn't care, grinning as he shoved another sausage into his mouth.
"Best part of weekends - extra sausages," he said cheerfully. "Though the pancakes aren't half bad either. Want some?"
Ambrose accepted with a nod. "Thank you, Oliver."
Noah cleared his throat quietly. "You always eat like it's your last meal."
Oliver grinned at him. "That's because I don't trust the next one to be better."
Cedric laughed, but Ambrose's smile lingered, thoughtful. "There's wisdom in that. Even the gods only ever ate what was before them, never what was promised."
Noah's fork paused. His eyes flicked sharply to Ambrose. "Gods?"
"Figures of old," Ambrose said easily. "Names turned into myths. But they lived as we do. Walked, spoke, argued, laughed. Wielded magic as breath. People mistook them for something more."
Oliver's jaw dropped slightly. "You mean, like… Zeus? Or Odin? You think they were real?"
Ambrose's eyes glimmered. "I know they were."
The words hung in the air. Noah set down his fork, studying Ambrose with renewed intensity. Cedric leaned forward, curiosity bright in his face. Oliver's mouth worked soundlessly, as though he couldn't decide between awe and disbelief.
Ambrose broke the tension with a calm sip of tea. "Hogwarts teaches much. But it does not teach everything. Some truths slipped through the cracks of history. And sometimes, those cracks are where the most fascinating secrets hide"
Later, as breakfast emptied and students wandered off to the grounds, Ambrose found himself walking the stone corridor with Cedric, Oliver, and Noah in tow. Their voices echoed faintly under the high arches.
"You talk like a professor" Cedric said with an amused glance.
"Do I?" Ambrose tilted his head. "I only speak the truth"
"Still," Oliver chimed in, "you're saying stuff no professor has ever mentioned. If there are secrets like that lying around - why don't we get taught them? What's the point of learning levitation charms when there's magic from- what did you say? actual gods?"
Ambrose smiled faintly. "Because levitating feathers prepares you to lift heavier burdens later. Every foundation must begin somewhere."
Noah spoke at last, voice steady but probing. "And what foundation did you begin with, Ambrose? You speak of secrets as if you've known them all your life."
The corridor fell into a hush. Cedric glanced uneasily between them. Oliver shifted, clearly uncomfortable with the tension. But Ambrose only regarded Noah with calm amusement.
"You're sharp," Ambrose said softly. "I respect that."
Noah's jaw tightened. "Respect doesn't answer the question."
Ambrose's eyes glowed faintly brighter, the golden-red flecks swirling like embers. "No, it doesn't. But answers come in their time. For now, I'll say this: I have studied much, but I do not claim to know everything. Which is why I am here."
He gestured around them, to the stone, to the air, to the very magic humming in the walls. "Hogwarts is alive. It hides more than it shows. Do you not feel it?"
Cedric glanced upward, as if listening. Oliver tilted his head, frowning. Noah looked away, unwilling to admit he did feel it.
Ambrose let the silence stretch, then smiled warmly. "Perhaps one day, we can search for those hidden truths together."
Oliver perked up immediately. "Like a study group?"
Cedric chuckled. "You'd turn everything into a game, Oliver."
"Why not?" Oliver said. "It'd be brilliant. We could share notes, practice stuff, even-"
Ambrose interrupted gently. "Not just practice. Explore. Learn what lies beyond textbooks. Ask questions no one dares ask."
Ambrose continued softly, his voice carrying a strange resonance. "If we search together, if we learn together, perhaps we can see further than any of us could alone."
The idea took root. That evening, after dinner, Ambrose leaned across the table in the Hufflepuff common room. Cedric, Oliver, and Noah looked at him expectantly.
"There's a room I've reserved," Ambrose said calmly. "Quiet, untouched. Perfect for study. If you'd like, we can meet there tonight."
Cedric raised an eyebrow. "Tonight?"
"Why wait?" Ambrose replied with a small smile. "If we're to build foundations, better to lay the first stone quickly."
Oliver thumped the table in excitement. "I'm in!"
Cedric hesitated, then nodded. "Alright. I'll come."
All eyes turned to Noah. He looked back at Ambrose, suspicion and curiosity warring in his gaze. Finally, he exhaled slowly. "One meeting. To see what you mean."
Ambrose inclined his head in acknowledgment. "One meeting, then."
The firelight flickered across his glowing eyes, and in that moment, something shifted between them - not yet a club, not yet a circle, but the faint outline of both.