[IC] Life of an Auror: What matters most (Onewayout x AlexTCrossman)

[Alex T Crossman]

Lystra Scamander

"Art is not about what you see, it is about what you make others see."

Name: Lystra Scamander
Age: 18
Profession: Student
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
Nationality: British
Wand: 12 Inch, Cedar Wood Wand, Phoenix Feather Core
Attributes: "Whenever I meet one who carries a cedar wand, I find strength of character and unusual loyalty. My father, Gervaise Ollivander, used always to say, ‘you will never fool the cedar carrier,’ and I agree: the cedar wand finds its perfect home where there is perspicacity and perception. I would go further than my father, however, in saying that I have never yet met the owner of a cedar wand whom I would care to cross, especially if harm is done to those of whom they are fond. The witch or wizard who is well-matched with cedar carries the potential to be a frightening adversary, which often comes as a shock to those who have thoughtlessly challenged them."


Birthday: March 14th
Star Sign: Pisces
House: Ravenclaw
Specialist Subject: Advanced Transfiguration - Due to Lystra's love of art, this form of magic had always appealed to her. The ability to change one thing into something new intrigued her to study this. Now, after years of studying alone and at school, she is capable of casting spells of even the most advanced forms of Transfiguration easily, with the meticulous skill of an artist.
Personality and Written Appearance: Lystra is a tall, frail looking girl with sharp blue eyes, blonde hair, and soft facial features. She takes after her mother, Luna Lovegood, with many of her features. She stands at 1.76m (5'7") and weighs about 58kg (130lbs), giving her a skinny frame with a whisper of curve where it counts. She prefers to dress in a very feminine and classy, but comfortable way. Under her typical Ravenclaw robe, she can be found wearing clothes of this nature:


In the eyes of many, Lystra is odd but beautiful and mysterious as she hardly speaks or tries to get close to anyone. When she does, she has a tongue as sharp as her mind, and she is not afraid to say what's on her mind in fear of hurting someone's feelings. People who don't know her would describe Lystra as uncaring, a loner, and other things of that sort that are only half true. Regardless, there is an air of mystery surrounding Lystra wherever she goes, and she prefers to keep it that way. Having an extremely selective empathy towards others makes her seem like a cold person. She loathes damsels in distress, and is a firm believer of independence. She doesn't care for people who cry or show any form of weakness and believes that doing so solves nothing. Of course she never outrightly rude to people, rather she simply ignores mostly everyone. She is a very artistic person, as well as hungry for knowledge. You will most likely see her with a pencil behind her ear if she is not sketching away or reading in some corner of the school. Lystra is intelligent and unusually perceptive of other's feelings and thoughts. She has an uncanny way of making others uncomfortable with her silence and tendency to turn away when someone is speaking to her. She is completely unflappable and rarely seems anxious or under stress, even under difficult circumstances she appears to be emotionless or bored. The sad part is that she wasn't always like this. In fact, in her younger years she was just the opposite: bubbly, happy, eager to make friends... until something very unfortunate happened.

Background/History: To Be Revealed
Blood Status: Pureblood
Miscellaneous:

-Patronus - ARCTIC FOX - Those with this patronus are cunning, stealthy, and persistent. The arctic fox is infinitely adaptable, living its life in one of the world’s most extreme climates. Arctic fox people tend to be sly, graceful, and have a near magic ability to make something out of nothing, utilizing even the most limited of resources. Arctic fox as a totem can teach us the ability to go with the flow of life, changing ourselves to suit our ever-evolving environments and being open to change.

-Favorite color is Sky Blue
-Favorite Animal: Cats - Has cat named Valor
-She loves sweets and black tea~
-Her Boggart is a Banshee: The banshee, from Irish: bean sí, is a female spirit in Irish mythology, usually seen as an omen of death and a messenger from another world. In legend, a banshee is a fairy woman who begins to wail if someone is about to die.

AND

Sebastian Reeves

"Sometimes the only way to see the light, is to walk through the darkness."

Name:
Sebastian Reeves

Age:
19

Profession:
Auror
Second to Harry Potter current head of Auror office
DOD (Department of Defense)
Ministry of Magic

Sexual Orientation:
Heterosexual

Nationality:
British (true nationality is unknown)

Wand

Wood type:
Hornbeam
Core:
Duel core of Dragon hearts string & Acromantula web
Length:
12 1/2 inches
My own wand is made of hornbeam, and so it is with all due modesty that I state that hornbeam selects for its life mate the talented witch or wizard with a single, pure passion, which some might call obsession (though I prefer the term ‘vision’), which will almost always be realised. Hornbeam wands adapt more quickly than almost any other to their owner’s style of magic, and will become so personalised, so quickly, that other people will find them extremely difficult to use even for the most simple of spells. Hornbeam wands likewise absorb their owner’s code of honour, whatever that might be, and will refuse to perform acts - whether for good or ill - that do not tally with their master’s principles. A particularly fine-tuned and sentient wand.

Birth date:
June 30th

Star sign:
Cancer

House:
Original House - Slytherin

Specialist Subject:
Defense Against the Dark Arts - Even though Sebastian had a particular reverence for spell casting even from a young age, his truest if only passion in his life was dueling. It was the one thing he was truly gifted at and one of the only things he truly loved to do, to the point where he practiced day and night to be better then anyone else could ever be. By time he was in his second year he had already mastered non verbal casting and his casting speed was beyond any of his peers. It was this combined with his high level of intelligence that caught the eye of the Ministry, particularly the Auror office. Now Sebastian is one of the top duelists of his age and barely has any equals that can match his speed and continues even now to improve upon his casting skills.

Personality and General Appearance:
Sebastian is a tall and well toned individual with darkened brown hair and light grey eyes and beard stubble which is now shaved away. Standing at a rather peaked 6'3" and weighing around 190 plbs he is in some cases considered a rather large monster. What frightens people the most about Sebastian is his eye's they are always cold and icy with a fierce look to them. His usual appearance is derived of different fine suits:



Due to his return to Hogwarts however, to maintain his cover when he is not wearing his school robes he has and assortment of comfortable casual outfits which he can switch between:



Loyal would be one of the words used to describe Sebastian among his co workers, and unwavering individual who would give his life to save someone else, even a complete stranger. A person who is highly motivated by the things he believes in and never even for a seconds lets anyone deter him from his ideals. However even with these fine points Sebastian is extremely cold and shut down when it comes to emotions, no one is really sure of the reason why. He is more then vocal when he is on job, and he is not afraid to say whats on his mind when the time calls for it. When it comes to who he really is inside however, no one has ever even scratched the surface, beyond his work he barely associates with anyone and is often found alone somewhere. Most people who don't know him would most definitely try to avoid him, and others would suspect that he is up to no good. But in reality Sebastian just does not care to make connections due to deep down inside he knows that sooner or later those connections will be broken. Never knowing the bonds most people have had in life, he feels friendship and love are just useless gestures in which he can never understand. But however emotionally unattached he is himself he is able to read other peoples emotions and in some cases can be somewhat sympathetic to them. Most of all he firmly believes in good, which is why he is so willing to give his life for others even if he can't understand the emotions that come from it. It is that good in the world that spurs him on.

Blood status:
Unknown

Background:
To be revealed

Other:

Patronus:

The Wolf a representation of the casters long to protect all those who are unable to protect themselves, a fiercely loyal and protective animal to those it cares about. The Wolf is unafraid to face danger and will fight head on if it has to if only to protect what matters the most. Strong and fast the Wolf is a worthy adversary, with great intelligence to par there are not many who can face this animal. An most of all even though fierce in a fight, is beautiful on the inside.

Boggart:

An old weathered cross, its meaning unknown to anyone

[Alex T Crossman]

Great Britain, London
Monday morning
July 25thth
9:00 am.

“This is just sick...”

Sebastian's eye's were cold and still as he stood in the alley that brisk cool morning in July, it was a truly magnificent morning at least it had been. The sun had rose into the sky in a brilliant chorus of wonderful blended colors, the air was refreshing, the dew on the short cut lawns was glistening intricately against the blades grass. All was right in the world at that point, people just waking up for yet another day. It was and still would be amazing how fast such beauty could turn to such dark and ugly circumstances. While others would go about their daily lives, Sebastian would be here, his cold gray eye's concentrating on the young beautiful blond before him. Even now her bright green eye's were still lighting up the bleak alley in which she lay, gazed permanently at the sky above, reflecting the precious last moments she must have had before she died. Had she known that this morning would be the morning that she would take her last breaths in this life? When she awoke the day before had she seen that her last moments were trickling by second after second? Did she make the most of this life that she had lived before it was gone? Sebastian bent down slowly to the ground, letting his knee touch the cracked gravel below he reached his hand forward and silently moved the young woman's hair aside from her shoulder. As he knew it would be on her upper shoulder there lay a mark, a mark of such crude device, it was carved into her arm like fire had licked her clear skin. The mark was in the shape of skull, each eye was replaced by a snake exiting the sockets, while knives pierced the skull from the top. Sebastian rose back to his feet and he turned to look at one of the newest Aurors, he had heard his words from before, speaking in a rough, deep, slightly accented voice Sebastian responded:

“Murder's are not know for being pleasant Donovan, even in the Wizarding world. This one was definitely no exception. Given the current condition of this young woman's eye's I would say that she passed only mere hours ago.”

“Here?! In the middle of the city where everyone would be able to see?!”

Sebastian shook his head at Donovan, in reality older then he was at a solid age of forty, he was a rather short and pudgy man with a five second haircut and a stubble of hair on his chin. He was a good man but where he excelled in being a good person, he without a doubt was to be desired as an Auror, he had the hand work but he failed the thinking aspect of the job. Most people think that Aurors are just dueling monkeys to protect the innocent, but there was so much more to it then that, at least after Harry Potter defeated Lord Voldemort and revolutionized the entire Auror organization. Back then it was more brute force and torturing to get the truth then it was figuring things out before it came to that. Sebastian wasn't knocking the old ways, truth be told they worked in a lot of ways, but if history taught one thing, when you torture a psychopath sooner or later... they torture you back. Harry Potter employed a more subtle approach to these old age tactics, he practically wrote the book on a new set of spells that allowed Aurors to solve murders and extract information from possible suspects without even one touch. Sebastian respected Harry, he was an outstanding man with a good heart, and that was unfortunately in short supply these days.

“I am sure it was not as in plain view as your thinking Donovan, after all this is what charms like Disillusionment are for. I doubt that anyone who might have came this way heard or saw even just a glimpse of what went on here.”

Muggles never saw anything and that was the honest truth, it was almost like they thrilled in their ability to never notice things. A powerful enough Witch or Wizard could have possibly seen through the spell, but this murder had taken place no where near a magical portion of town. Even now muggles were passing by this alley way on their way to work or whatnot, unaware that two men and a body were secretly in here hidden by an invisible wall, that if even glimpse touched would make them forget where they are and walk away from the protective barrier. But Sebastian had done enough thinking now, he had the scene memorized in his head.

“OK Donovan this is lesson one so listen carefully. The victim was a nineteen year old female witch, her wands information has told me that her name is Susan Applewood, the last spell she used before he life was take was Confringo so she definitely tried to fight back but failed. The suspect subdued her with magical chains, these markings on her arms indicate that much. By the looks of it he levitated her and brought her to this alley, there is one set of footprints in and then out, and no other signs of struggle. So what does this mean Donovan?.... Donovan?”

Sebastian turned to look for the trainee, to his dismay the man was outside the charm wall talking to what appeared to be a rather attractive female. From his facial expressions he seemed like he was having a good conversation. Sebastian closed his eye's and shook his head in disappointment, why the hell was he the youngest Auror here at the moment, but he was the only one who took his damn job seriously!? Crossing his arms Sebastian was livid as his eye's were now piercingly scary as Donovan finish talking to the woman and quickly walked back into the charm before anyone saw. Seeing Sebastian who seemed less then happy, Donovan quickly walked forward and spoke:

“Excuse me Sir I was interrogating possible witnesses, you can never be too careful, never know what they might have saw.”

Sebastian shook his head at the man, it was bad enough he went outside the barrier and risked their discovery but then he lies horribly to cover his ass! Sebastian hated liars an for people he was training, it was even worse for them.

“Donovan I am only going to iterate this once and once only so listen and shut up okay? One you do not, repeat, do not leave a scene that is being protected from the eye's of muggles. This is a stupid idiotic mistake that children would make. You risked this entire investigation scene by going out there and talking to that woman. Second you damn well know that there are no witnesses to this murder, if you had been giving any sort of care to what I was saying you would know that. An three I hate liers especially terrible ones, I might have a reputation for not know what emotions are, but damn it I know what flirting looks like, I am not an idiot! We are not some rabble of woman chasing police men Donovan, we are elite magical enforcers and we conduct ourselves as such. Now today's lesson is over, report back to the Ministry immediately and file a report of your actions for Mr. Potter to overlook and detail your lack of interest in this case.”

Donovan opened his mouth to argue but Sebastian's glare told him other wise, the man, defeated, muttered yes sir and apparitioned out of the wall and into a designated spot away from prying eye's. Sebastian turned back towards the body with a heavy sigh, he would finish of this crime scene alone it would seem. Yep it was just another lovely Monday morning in the great Britain.

Great Britain, London
Monday afternoon
Ministry of Magic
Auror Department
July 4th
1:40 pm.

Sebastian sat in his office silently as he typed on the thin screen terminal in front of him, he silently detailed his report from the earlier investigations he simultaneous worked on a training report for the ladies man Donovan. Sebastian would be ever grateful for Harry Potter changing their internal system of keep records, back in school he had hated writing long hand and typing was much easier on his wand hand. Sebastian read some of his report out loud under his breath as he revised everything:

“The young woman in question, Susan Applewood was presented with the curse mark on her right shoulder like the last four victims. Which in conclusion is the fifth death related to the same curse mark within the passing four months.”

Sebastian looked up when he heard a knock on his door and then it slid open revealing the head of the Auror Department.

“Mr. Potter Sir how can I help you?”

Harry Potter slowly entered the room completely before closing the door and taking a seat in the rather large plushy black chair in front of Sebastian large Mahogany desk. Producing a piece of paper Harry began to speak:

“I received a personal deposition from one Donovan Grendel this morning requesting that he be assigned another instructor, preferably one that isn't and I quote a snobby kid. I take it that this mornings training did not go exactly as planned did it Mr. Reeves?”

Sebastian for the slightest of seconds showed a rather pure disappointment from hearing how Donovan had described him. The look however disappeared as fast as it appeared before Sebastian sighed and sat back in his chair and spoke:

“No sir it didn't go well, he was apparently more interested in breaking protocol and talking to cute woman then he was learning about the crime scene. On top of that he then proceeded to insult my intelligence by telling me he was gathering possible information from witnesses when there clearly was none. I was detailing my own report of the incident as was going to send it to you within the hour, I guess he is just trying to save his own skin now.”

Harry looked at the report then back at Sebastian before placing it on his desk and sitting back in the plush chair folding his hands on his lap.

“Donovan said you were rather crude and seemed unfeeling towards him or the current situation. He said he was only trying to help by talking to the woman. I know that him breaking protocol was wrong and lieing about it was worse, but he is after all a recruit Mr. Reeves. Recruits are not well known for not making a few mistakes when they are first placed in the field. That's why I assigned him to you because your a great field investigator and would no doubt keep him safe if worse came to worse. Mr. Grendel will be disciplined for his actions, breaking protocol and giving false information to a ranking officer, however I came here to request that you, try... to be a bit more sympathetic to the newer recruits. You are a great Auror Sebastian you even give me a run for my money at times in magical dueling, but you have got to show a little more emotion towards the recruits, and your peers under you, with all the new people we are getting in here we need to make them feel comfortable here. This is a stressful environment to begin with and they need to know they can come to you with anything. I know that you have faced some rather terrible things in your past, and I am not saying this change has to come over night, but I want you to try Mr. Reeves, okay?”

“Yes sir Mr. Potter you know you can always count on me.”

Sebastian gave a weak but attempted sincere smile as Harry nodded to him with a genuine smile and departed the office. Sebastian sighed deeply before he returned to his report and started typing again.

Great Britain, London
Monday night
Somewhere outside of London
Hilly grass side
July 4th
9:41 pm.

Sebastian sat silently with his back up against a rather large oak tree as he looked out upon the ever expanding grassy knolls below the hill. In the distance he could just barely see the lake as the light of the moon glinted off the surface. Completely alone the man just sat there with his head cushioned inside of a man carved nook in the tree. He let the thoughts of the day will his mind, the murder, Donovan, Harry, the crime scene. It all poured in as only in this moment the mask he wore day in and day out had slipped off in the lonely darkness of the night. The truth was things did get to him, Donovan and his words, Harry and his, both different tactics but the same, about him and his inability to express himself. Maybe in someways he wished he could open up who he was, he truly did want people to know him on the inside. But he couldn't, he couldn't let himself do that, when he knew how it would end. He wanted those connection he never in his life got to understand, but if he did then life's cruelty which seemed to follow him would just rip it away and leave him torn again.

Sebastian closed his eye's slowly as his thoughts mashed together and slowly faded, then switched to another as he fell into restfulness slumber.

”Help me Sebastian! Help me!”

Sebastian was frightened as he lay in a dark and foreboding cemetery, the area was full of thick fog. He shivered profusely as he just a young boy now, his heart thumping hard in his chest. He heard the screams by he was frozen to the ground his arms wrapped around himself as he shook, the air was so cold and lifeless. Tears were streaming down his dirt stricken face as the fog around him seemed to form into shadows, the looked at him as the ground seemed to move under him. The world around him seemed to change as before long Sebastian slowly looked up, looming before him was a very large old tombstone cross.

“Help me! Please help me!”

The voice was muffled now as it was very close by, Sebastian shook even harder as he cried, raising himself up he crawled towards the grave as his legs wouldn't work. Weakly he started to pull earth up from in front of the cross with his hands, however no matter how hard he tried the earth replaced itself almost immediately. Sebastian cried in defiance as he tried so desperately to dig, out of nowhere suddenly a large shadow hand grabbed him and pulled him aside. Sebastian felt himself lifted in the air to see a pair of red glowing eye's glaring at him. Opening his mouth to scream no sounds came out as the shadow formed a mouth of glistening white teeth dripping with blood. In a deep chilling voice it spoke:

“Sebastian... Sebastian?”

Sebastian awoke with a start as he wand was immediately in his hand and ready to attack, the field in front of him came back into view as he slowly realized where he was. Turning his head quickly he saw Harry Potter kneeling down beside him his hand on his shoulder.

“Sir? What are you doing here?”

“There's been another murder Sebastian your being called in, it looks like the same MO as all the others, however these is a new development that you need to see.”

Almost instantly Sebastian felt himself squeeze through an invisible tube the size of wire and instantly he was a large house in an unknown location. As he arrived there was several other Aurors there already, they all seemed to look at him as if something weird was on his face. Slowly walking forward Sebastian saw the body of a young brown haired woman on the ground, blood had softly matted her hair. However what caught his attention was the large wall in front of him, something had been written in the victims blood... it was an cross with a message written underneath:

“You can't protect them, and before the end you too will join them. You too will know the feeling as your last breath leaves your body, and you face the greatest fear of all... Death.
The cursed Reaper”



Great Britain, London
Monday afternoon
Ministry of Magic
Auror Department
August 25th
10:00a.m..

“Whoa whoa whoa... let me see if I understand what your trying to say, your telling me that our only surviving witness wants to throw herself into the lions cage and see if it works out?”

Sebastian sat in Harry Potters spacious office as he looked at the man in disbelief, their first actual witness, the first survivor of the Cursed Reapers victims, wanted to leave their protection and go finish her last year at Hogwarts! Either this girl was stupid and ultra brave, and at this point Sebastian was leaning towards stupid.

“We tried to warn her on the consequences, but she insisted on completing her last year and letting the chips fall where they may. An as a adult witch we are unable to hold her here against her will or any other way for that matter, what it boils down to is that its her choice and she made it.”

This was pure lunacy, even an fool would realize that they are gambling their life for a stupid reason. Hogwarts was a safe place, but if time had proved one thing its that its defenses are not impermeable if not outright bypass-able. An even more... she was the only witness alive in these brutal murders, the only one who somehow escaped... they needed her now more then anything, if nothing more she could help them find this Dark Wizard and put them away for good.

“This is too big a gamble Sir Hogwarts is highly protected but there have been ways past its defenses, not to mention that this year the Tri-Wizard tournament is taking place at Hogwarts which is going to allow many different people onto the grounds. Hell even you remember what happened when Barty Crouch Jr cursed the cup and forced you to compete in an attempt to kill you. There are too many possibilities in which this person can get at this girl.”

“Your right Mr. Reeves that's why we have a plan in motion to keep her as safe as possible. We will not allow her to go unprotected knowing that she has the death mark on her.”

“Plan... what plan? Why have I not heard talk about it already?”

Harry got up from his seat with a rather mischievous smile on his face as he motioned for Sebastian to follow him. Sebastian eye's widened slightly, he didn't like when Harry smiled like that, the last time he smiled like that he had Sebastian pose as a female bar maid to spy on a bunch of low class dark wizards at in a pub in Hogsmeade, the department had never let him live that moment down. Harry silently lead Sebastian down the hallways when they reached his office, Sebastian looked at Harry with a sinking feeling as his office door was opened and Harry put his hand out for him to look, peeking in Sebastian's eye's widened as he looked at Harry.

“Oh no... no no no you are not doing this!”

They both now sat in Sebastian's office, across the room was a chorus of items including a trunk with his name on it, final year books, a Hogwarts uniform which bared the emblem for Ravenclaw. Sebastian was beside himself as Harry was smiling and seemed to be enjoying the fact that his emotions were showing through the cracks, just like the bar maid proposal.

“There has got to be another way Sir, anyone else. Uhm... Donovan! Just give him a polyjuice potion and send him I am sure he would love to hit on chicks over there! I know I spoke badly of him but it was a pack of lies, he is perfect for this assignment!”

Sebastian spoke quickly as Harry just seemed to keep making his smile larger and larger, the man was definitely enjoying this. Sebastian covered his face with his hand and leaned back in his chair as he felt like he was getting a tension headache.

“Your not getting out of it Sebastian, just like the bar maid skit in Hogsmeade. I seem to remember you suggesting a lot of others who were more suited. But truth be told you were perfect for that job just like your perfect for this one.”

“Excuse me for being blunt but you have no idea what it is like to be a hot serving girl in a bar with drunken men. Do you have any idea how many men pinched my butt, and commented on how lovely my breasts were? Do you know what its like to have a drunk man come up to you and whisper in your ear that he would like to do unspeakable things to you in the bedroom.”

“Speak a few?”

Sebastian opened his eye's as he looked at Harry who looked like he was about to laugh, Sebastian found himself smiling as he suddenly let out a small but hearty laugh as Harry did too, a rare moment in deed.

“OK, OK tell me how this is suppose to work? I mean I am pretty sure that I just can't come to Hogwarts with no suspicion and join a house.”

“We are having your alibi being worked out with the Headmaster as we speak, you are going to be an exchange student who will be taking the place of another Ravenclaw whom we have already contacted and offered an all expense payed trip to the Beauxbatons Academy in southern France, they were ecstatic about the opportunity.”

“Beauxbatons! Really... couldn't I have been a student from Durmstrang Institute its seems a heck of a lot more fitting for me.”

“Yeah we were pretty sure that no one was going to go there willingly, you do realize how rough they play down there? We played the France card instead, we needed to be sure someone would want to transfer for their last year.”

Sebastian smacked his head and put his elbow on his desk and put his face in his hand, first he was a big blossomed bar maid now he is coming from a school known for its lovely woman and their butterflies...

“Oh and when you get on the train to go to Hogwarts to make sure there is no doubt your coming from Beauxbatons you will need to wear this...”

Sebastian looked up as his eye's widened an he backed away...

“That is not bloody happening! Not in this life time Sir, No this time I refuse!”

Sebastian stood on the platform to Nine and three quarters with a rather nasty look on his face, his arms were crossed as various students looked at him with a snicker. The light powder blue uniform that all students from Beauxbaton wore was getting him various laughs from half the student body. Oh this was far from over, he would get revenge on Harry for this somehow someway. Sebastian took a deep breath as his luggage was loaded onto the train, slowly hopping up the stair way he climbed onto the train for the first time in years. It was unclear what lay ahead of him on his road, but he knew for sure already that this year was going to be long.

[OneWayOut]

Three days prior...

Hands. They were arguably the most essential of human body parts, and yet the hardest of all for an artist to properly replicate onto a canvas, whether it be by painting, sculpting, or sketching. The youthful looking blonde sat at her desk perched in front of an open window that overlooked the spacious backyard of her home. The wind blowing into the room was gentle but cold enough to raise a pink flush on the girl's pale face. Below her in the yard, a small cat was running freely, chasing some sort of creature back and forth, trampling occasionally in the flowers that were blooming in the garden. In the distance, the light of the sun was slowly starting to fade on the horizon, turning the sky one hundred shades of blue and purple; a sight those who do not look towards the sky hardly get to see. The icy blue eyes belonging to Lystra Scamander weren't gazing at this sight however, as they were focused on the page below her. The large sketchpad took up a majority of her desk space, and it made her small hands look even tinier as they firmly clutched the pencil she was using to sketch.

A frustrated groan escaped her and her lower lip was captured between her teeth, a gesture she did out of habit when she was thinking hard about something. She gently chewed on her plump pink lip as she flipped her pencil over and gently erased a line she'd just made and used the faint indent to adjust her line. At present, she was working on finishing a sketch she'd been slowly working on the past few days to pass the time. Being locked up in her house proved to be less of a pain than she thought, but only because she was able to draw and practice her magic. She did what she could to keep herself from thinking about... what had happened, but in the end she couldn't stop thinking about it. She couldn't avoid it... and so she decided to express her emotions in the way she always had.

Expression through art.

Lystra remembered the hands and the dark form, but everything about the one who'd attacked her was all a blur. At the time, she'd been consumed with fear and the need to survive, the only thing she remembered were the hands that wrapped around her neck... that held the wand that had burned the mark into her shoulder, the hands that tried to end her. With a sigh, Lystra dropped her pencil onto her desk and rubbed the spot on her arm. Whenever she thought about that day, her emotions would get out of control and she would paint or draw something before crumpling it and tossing it in the trash. It was her way of getting rid of those thoughts. And for a while, it had worked.

When she starting trying to draw the hands, she was forced to delve into the parts of the memory that she wanted to bury. She was forced to replay every moment in her mind in an attempt to focus, but it was all shrouded when she remembered how afraid she was. For once in her life, she had doubted her ability as a witch. Lystra had always felt deep inside her, that with her Transfiguration Magic, she could be just as strong as those who excelled in Defense Against the Dark Arts. She was passionate about it. She was determined to prove that powerful witches and wizards didn't always have to flaunt their dueling skills. She thought that her sharp mind and creativity could prove to be her greatest weapon.

Lorcan and Lysander, her two older brothers, were already graduated and off training to be Aurors. Lystra wanted so badly to be like them. Not to be an Auror, but she wanted the same attention and respect that Aurors were given. She didn't want to be dubbed the weaker of the three sibling just because she was small and a girl and didn't excel in the Dark Arts. Now in her last year of school, she was going to finish her studies finally and prove to everyone that they'd underestimated her. She was working on something big. She was working on a masterpiece.

A knock at her bedroom door interrupted her thoughts and she slowly turned to look at the door.

"Lystra? It's dad... your mother and I want to talk to you for a minute. Can we come in?"

Hesitantly, Lystra would reach towards her right arm with her left, pulling the handle of her wand out from under her sleeve before waving it towards the door. She didn't need to say anything, as the door would swing open easily, allowing her parents to enter her room. Just as quickly as she'd removed it, Lystra slipped her wand back into her sleeve, the wooden object sliding into the wand holder she kept hidden there. In the doorway, she saw her parents Luna and Rolf Scamander standing there, looking worried.

She already knew what this talk was going to be about.

"If this is going to be about school then please save your breath. I don't want to talk about it anymore." she said to them as they came in and closed the door behind her.

"We can't keep avoiding this talk. Your father and I are worried for you." her mother said, sitting down on Lystra's bed. Her father did the same, crossing his arms and shaking his head.

"We don't think it's a good idea for you to return to school. Your stubbornness could get you killed." he said, his tone was gentle but firm. Lystra couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Dad... is it not clear to you yet that I'm capable of handling myself?" she asked, crossing her arms in the same manner that he had.

"Handling yourself? You were almost killed-"

"You don't think I'm aware of that?" she asked, cutting him off.

"How you managed to escape is beyond me. You got lucky this time, but how can you be sure next time wont be different?"

"Luck? I'm alive because I'm stronger than you two think." Lystra said, trying to defend herself. "I'm not some weak little girl. My skills in Transfiguration is what saved me. I-"

"Lystra..." her mother started, reaching out to place a hand on her daughter's knee. "It's not about strength. No one is saying you're weak... it's okay if your talents lie in a field that's different from your brothers." she said, knowing Lystra's ambition to be respected like her siblings. What she didn't know... was that Lystra had another reason why she wanted to finish school. She needed to perfect her skills for her masterpiece.

"You can finish your studies here, under protection, and your mother and I can teach you what's left of you to learn."

"I'm not a child and I don't want to be protected!" she said, suddenly shouting as she stood up. "I have one more year left... one more. I already started Vanishment and Conjuration on my own, but I'm not getting anywhere! You two specialize in a totally different field. I need to learn from an expert. I need to learn from-"

"Why are you so fixated on this? You're so smart you can put your mind to anything and be great at it." her dad asked, shaking his head.

"Why? I can't tell you... but I-"

"You can't tell us?" her mother said, looking worried.

"I just..." Lystra sighed. "I am... working on something. I'm only a few strokes away from creating a masterpiece. Something that no one's ever seen before." she told them, trying to explain without actually telling them what she was planning.

Her parents looked at each other, sharing some kind of silent communication before her father sighed and stood up from the bed.

"I can't support this. You're putting your life in danger and going against the wishes of myself and your mother."

"Dad please. I know you think I'm not strong, but once I finish this, it'll prove to you that I can-"

"You're not like your brothers Lystra. You never will be and you need to understand that." he said sternly, one octave below yelling.

"Honey-" her mother started, trying to stop him from continuing on.

Lystra frowned and stomped her foot. "Well excuse me for wanting you to just be proud of me for once in my life!"

A silence filled the room as her parents both looked surprised and hurt by her words. Turning away from them, Lystra would sit down and stare at the sketch on her desk.

"Please just go away. I dont want to talk about this anymore." she said, not looking at either of them.

Her mother was the first to leave the room, and her father followed shortly after, closing the door behind them. When she could no longer hear their footsteps, Lystra sighed and stood, going to lay down on her bed.

She was going back to Hogwarts for her final year. She was going to finish her studies and perfect the last of her Transfiguration Magic. She was going to prove to everyone that she could do something no other witch or wizard was capable of doing.

She was going to give her parents the daughter they'd always wanted.

---

Present Day...

Lystra's mother was the only one to see her off to the train station when the time came. She didn't try to discourage Lystra anymore, but kept a small smile on her face the whole trip there. Before she would step through the wall to the platform, her mother checked over her bags once again and placed Valor, her cat companion, in his carrying cage along with Lystra's other things.

When it was time for her to go, her mother captured her in a tight hug and held her for a long moment.

"Please stay safe." she mumbled into her ear. Lystra nodded and broke from the hug, giving her mother her trademark smirk.

"I will. Bye mom." she said, giving a wave and heading to the proper platform.

Lystra's mind wandered the entire time prior to her actually boarding the train and finding a seat. She ignored everyone as usual, and sat alone in one of the train cabins that typically held four people, sitting as close to the window as she could. As she gazed out the window and the train started to move, she was admiring the scenery as it started to flash by, her blue eyes rapidly moving back and forth as she focused of a few things that stood out to her. In the back of her mind, she thought about the sketch still sitting on her desk at home, wondering if she would ever have the capacity to finish drawing those hands.

[Alex T Crossman]

Sebastian stood silently in the now empty hallway of the Hogwarts Express as he looked into the compartment that held the woman he would be protecting, he had watched her enter the train even though she had been unaware of him. Harry had warned him specifically not to tell her who he was or who he worked for, they could not risk being exposed before the enemy made a move.

"How are we so sure the enemy doesn't already know me?"

Sebastian sat silently as he held one of the current books for the last year, it seemed to be the same material from his school year but it had been slightly revised for newer material. He silently scanned the pages as he quickly read the book to make sure he was more then adequately prepared for the classes he would once again be taking.

"We don't but we are going to have to assume for now that the enemy has not been paying as close attention specifically to you. We have to maintain complete secrecy on this Sebastian, she can not under any circumstances know who you really are or that you work for the Ministry. With the Tri-Wizard cup taking place this year we can't be sure who the enemy is or if they will have eye's or ears in Hogwarts. Thats why for the duration of your stay you will be taking the identity Roland Fleur, that should if anything else throw off any possible.

Sebastian finished reading the book as he set it down and pick up another one flipping it over scanning the pages of the book like the last one, his eye's moving quickly from page to page as he turned them.

"So I am just to keep an eye on here? Make sure she stays out of trouble?"

"Unfortunately its going to take more then that, she is not stupid nor is she blind to not notice someone is following her, especially now given the current situation. From the interview with her parents she is a loner very much like you, so we are going to use that to our advantage. I want you to befriend her and get close to her so that you can keep a close eye on her during the day, for surveillance purposes, we have placed magical devices in the Ravenclaw dorm to alert you to possible attacks."

Sebastian slowly lowered the book and then closed it with a snap, he had to be... her friend? How the hell was he supposed to do that!? He wasn't exactly the friend type to begin with. Hell he had no bloody friends now on the exception of maybe Harry but that was awry at best.

"I know that look Sebastian I have seen it enough in my life time from you. To tell you the truth your youthful appearance and skills as an Auror were only half the reason I chose you for this mission. The other reason was that I believe this will be a good experience for you, to get you out of the box you keep yourself in, a chance to experience the things you have never experienced. Your a great boy, and I am sure in time you will be an even greater man, but you need to open yourself or I fear that you will not make it far in this life."

Sebastian pulled out his fingers, a noticeable gesture when he felt that his character was being attacked, he knew Harry meant well and that he thought of him as a surrogate son but the truth simply was that he didn't understand how he felt, not completely.

"You don't understand Sir with all due respect, you knew those connections and even until this day you still know them. I have never known that, I have never had one friend in my entire life that I could trust. Your the only one who ever gave me a chance to be something more, and looked after me like a father. Smiles in a room full of coworker simply is just that, smiles in a passing moment."

Harry got up from his chair silently and walked across the room, putting his hand on Sebastian's shoulder he looked him in the eye and spoke lowly so Sebastian could hear only:

"I do know what it feels like to live life alone wishing there was something more in it. You hide it well but I see it in your eye's that your current life makes you unhappy. You love your work but you wish just for once in your life you could have something more solid, something meant to last. You fear relationships with people because you fear they will someday end, but everyone has that fear Sebastian, but the difference is we form those relationships anyways, because living alone is not anyway to live."

Sebastian watched Harry smile at him and cross the room to the door out of his office, Sebastian swallowed hard never realizing just how intuitive Harry really was and that he had read him like a book. Before Harry opened the door he turned one last time and spoke:

"Change is a good thing Sebastian, you have all the good things that make a fine man, now you just need to open the door and let them flow out and show everyone your warm individual."

Harry nodded saying Good luck on his assignment and left the room.

Sebastian reached his hand out and grabbed the handle to the compartment as the train jerked lightly, pulling the door back he took a deep breath and let himself into the compartment where Lystra was sitting, poking his head in he gave a charming smile and spoke in a lightly accented french voice:

"Hello all these other compartments are full up would you mind if I sat with you?"

[OneWayOut]

Ice blue met steel gray as the door to the compartment opened and Lystra tore her eyes from the window, focusing her gaze on the boy that had entered. Based upon his attire, he was apparently not from around here, as he wore the robes to a different school. Lystra wore her own house robe, but it was open so her casual attire was visible underneath. He had asked her if he could sit with her after flashing a smile that didn't seem to reach his eyes, the little detail causing Lystra to hesitate only a moment before answering.

"If you must, go ahead and sit." she answered, gesturing with her hand to the seat across from her. Her tone was distant, as usual, and she turned away from him then, crossing her left leg over her right before resuming her gaze out the window. Lystra quickly disregarded the presence of the boy as she started to go over some spells in her head and which wand movements correlated with each. At Hogwarts, Lystra was known for her sharp mind and sharp tongue and it caused people to stray away from her. She needed to keep that image up during this year, as it was of utmost importance for her. She didn't just want to be the smartest witch in Ravenclaw anymore.

She wanted to be the smartest witch in the entire school. And she was close to achieving her goal, she knew it. A mischievous grin slowly made its way onto her features as she thought about it. Though her talents resided heavily in Transfiguration, by no means did that mean she wasn't skilled in every other aspect of magic. When it came to DADA, she fell short since she refused to use the standard ways of dueling, and instead use her Transfiguration Magic spells to fight. It proved to be good in some cases, but with her talents in Conjuration lacking, she couldn't perform at her best just yet and thus, her results were inconsistant. She'd lost just as many duels as she'd won, and this year she was going to turn all of that around.

"Promise me you'll try and make some friends this year."

The sudden flash of her mother's voice in her mind surprised her as the memory of a conversation they'd shared came to the forefront of her mind. Lystra sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. She didn't care if she had friends, but she'd forgotten her promise to her mother.

"You can be the strongest witch in the world... but what's the point if you don't have anyone around you to enjoy the gift of magic with you?"

"Whatever..." she mumbled softly.

Lystra's gaze fell to her lap as she thought about her mother's words. Could she really turn it all around and undo so many years of pushing everyone away? She'd always only focused on her art... on her magic, and now she was supposed to try and make friends? They were a waste of time.

"We all have a limited time on this Earth, Lystra. You nearly lost your life, and it could happen again at any moment. You need to take the time and think, my daughter. Think about this: When your time runs out, and all that's left of you is a memory in the back of someone's mind, what do you want them to remember about you?"

The sad thing was... her mother was right. This entire time, she thought that if she worked hard, she would get noticed by her peers for being just as amazing as her elder brothers, but It didn't end up working out that way though. No one in the school particularly cared for her. She'd unknowingly put up a wall that was impenetrable before she knew she was doing it, and now she had no one. If she would have died that day...who would have spared a moment to grieve for her?

Lystra had all but forgotten the presence of the boy who sat in the compartment with her. As an overwhelming feeling of sadness and regret washed over her, she just continued to stare at her hands in her lap. The image of her sketch flashed in her mind and she found herself feeling torn. The emotions she had been holding in ever since that day were starting to rise up within her and she felt the tightening in her chest as they did.

"This is all so stupid... " she mumbled out loud, bringing a hand up to wipe a traitor tear that threatened to slide down her cheek.

She wasn't sure if she could change... but the least she could do was try, right?

[Alex T Crossman]

Sebastian took no real notice to being brushed off like he was, in fact deep inside he was grateful that she had not tried to talk to him. What the heck was he even supposed to say to this girl? He was damn sure the only thing at this point they had in common was they refused to make any real friends. An when you looked at it that didn't seem like an appealing way of starting a conversation with someone. Sebastian found himself peering out the window himself as he saw the terrain clashing from the speed of the train, it was the same as it had been years ago when he first took this trip. The only real difference is no one had cared to share a car with him, people then tended to avoid him like they do now. It was the look in his eye's, the look of unknown behind the grey, it was a scary thing to face the unknown and most people chose not to. He hadn't been afraid of the unknown, in fact he had thrived on the chance to unravel the mystery that shrouded the unknown, to take that one step forward that no one else wanted to. To look for something beyond the normal world, to find truth and meaning behind the picture instead of taking it at face value, that's who he was and still is, not a person who can just make friends and live some happy notion of a life that wouldn't last in the end. He was just sick and tired of everyone trying to open him up to see what was on the inside, tired of no one liking him because he wasn't able to outwardly express himself, tired of sitting in the same old place all the time and trying to avoid the nightmares that plague his unconscious mind.

Sebastian sly looked over at Lystra as he heard her mumble something under her breath, she seemed rather preoccupied with her thoughts, very much like he was with his own. She had the look of someone who was thinking about rather unsettling things, the same look that Harry had more then once said Sebastian showed all the time. As she looked down at her lap Sebastian withdrew his attention back to the landscape outside, as it rolled by memories rolled with it.

"Freak!! Your a freak!!"

"Your really weird stay away from me!"

"Ewww don't sit here we don't need any weirdo's in our group!"

The voices echoed through his head as he clenched his fist tightly enough that it cracked his fingers, they had all distanced him so much, no one had even wanted to know him. He never understood why... he never truly knew why everyone treated him so badly, he never did anything to deserve it. All he ever did was dedicate himself to his school work, it seemed like the farther he went passing second and third years while he was still in his first, the more people treated him like he was some sort of freak. He was the outcast of his house and the entire school. No one cared to treat him like anything else, and his house mates definitely had no support for him that was for sure. Christmas was in the end the loneliest for him, but also the best time for him because everyone went home. But he did often imagine back then what it would have been like to have some place to go to, some place with people who loved him.

"Just a pipe dream nothing more..."

Sebastian spoke very low under his breath as he he chose to stop thinking bout his past at Hogwarts it was no more real now the anything else was.

"This is all so stupid... "

Sebastian looked over slowly as he had almost forgotten Lystra was even in the car with him, he saw her casually wipe her cheek hiding what would have been a tear or at least that's what it seemed like to him. He sighed inside knowing he had to say something to her, he had to try and befriend her somehow and what better place to start then now. Flicking his wrist slightly his wand exited the mechanism on his wrist as his wand fell into his hand, swishing it gently a piece of fabric appeared from the tip, grabbing it he offered it across to Lystra as he spoke:

"I don't mean to impose but is everything okay?"

[OneWayOut]

She was taking slow deep breaths in an attempt to control her emotions that seemed bent on going wild. She absolutely hated when she got like this; when her mind got to a point where it could do nothing else but try to force tears from her eyes. It was happening more often it seemed, and at times that didn't make any sense. She hated it because it made her feel weak. If she couldn't even be in control of her emotions, how in the world could she expect to be in control of anything else? It was so simple... so easy for her just not to feel. Every once in awhile, when she let her guard down, this would happen. She would curl up and cry and pity herself and drown in a pool of grief until she felt numb...

And then she would get back to work.

Lystra had forgotten that this time, hovering on the brink of a breakdown, she wasn't alone. Her attempts to wipe away the tears that pooled in her eyes were in vain as she soreness under them only brought more. Soon, they were falling faster than she could wipe at them, and then... a small cloth was held out to her. Her eyes flickered upwards from their fixated gaze on her lap and landed on the face of the boy who sat across from her. He held out a tissue towards her, the look on his face was one of a typical guy who was feeling uncomfortable. It was understandable, being in the presence of a crying girl, and it was obvious he felt obligated to be a gentleman and assist however he could.

"I don't mean to impose but is everything okay?" he asked her, the accent in his voice faint.

She didn't respond to him right away, just leaned forward and hesitantly took the tissue he held out to her. When she leaned back into her seat, she brought a bit of her hair over her shoulder and looked towards the window, effectively hiding most of her face behind her hair. She used the tissue he'd given her to wipe at her eyes as she glared out the window at the passing scenery. She felt so embarrassed that she'd been so caught up in her thoughts, someone nearly saw her crying like a stupid little damsel in distress.

Her lower lip was captured by her teeth in a nervous bite as she thought to thank him for the tissue. The problem was, she wasn't sure if when she opened her mouth to speak, words would actually come out. And so, she waited, awkwardly glancing over at the boy, until she had calmed down and was sure she could speak properly.

"Thank you." she mumbled, gesturing to the tissue and crumpling the soft fabric in her fist. Her cheeks grew warm as she still felt embarrassed about the whole thing. "Don't look at me." she mumbled as she shifted in her seat, pissed that her voice had come out so fragile sounding. "Everything's fine. I just... have allergies. They're acting up. So... don't worry about it." she lied, looking away from him as she did. Somehow, being under that steel gray gaze made her feel exposed, as if he could see right through her act.

Truth be told, Lystra was a horrible liar and she knew it, but what could she tell him? It's not like she could go around telling people her whole life story or what she'd been through recently. She instead crossed her arms and shifted her right leg over her left, adjusting to a more comfortable spot in her seat. At least she didn't know the guy and he didn't know her. The school was so big, by the time they'd part ways, they probably wouldn't be seeing much of each other anyway. Regardless, she didn't want this guy to think she was some sort of cry baby if by some chance they did run into each other again.

[Alex T Crossman]

Sebastian sat back again as she had taken the tissue and sat back in her own seat moving her hair just right to conceal her face. She effectively hid the fact that tears had been softly rolling down her cheeks. Sebastian felt a glimmer of pain in his own chest seeing that, but he hid that fact well as he was really curious as to what she was so upset over. Then again given the fact that someone tried to murder her days ago and branded her with a curse mark did certainly tend to make one emotional, even ones that were able to hide their emotions ad be strong on the outside. Sebastian slowly raised his own hand to his upper should as he felt the spot outside the sky blue uniform feeling the indentation on the inside of the light cloth as he drew his gaze back onto Lystra. It was a short time before she turned to face him, he could tell she felt a bit awkward so he smiled a little bit to show her that she could relax a little. When she did finally speak she quietly thanked him for the tissue and then requested that he not look at her. She then muttered something about having allergies and drew her attention back to the window. Sebastian kept his gaze on her another couple seconds then turned his own head to the window to view the scenery with her, imagining what she might be seeing out there. Time passed a little bit as neither one of them really spoke to each other but kept peering out the window. Sebastian eventually gazed away from the window an attempted a second try on conversation.

"So... what is Hogwarts like? This is going to be my first time visiting, is it a pleasant place?"

Sebastian was hitting himself inside knowing that was the lamest attempt yet at this failing conversation, but what could you do when the person you were talking to had the same ideals about being solo as you?

"Oh and by the way my name is Seb... Roland, Roland Fleur but some people have called me Seb."

Damn it all! Had he really almost said his real name!? Why was small talk to damn hard!? It made him just want to get up and go find an empty car of his own so he could past the rest of this trip in silence and serenity. But he couldn't do that there was no choice, he had to suck it up and do what had to be done.

[OneWayOut]

The silence in the train compartment proved to be the atmosphere Lystra needed to calm down and get her emotions and thoughts back in check. In truth, she no longer minded the presence of the boy, as he seemed just as comfortable with the silence as she was. It made for a moment of time that passed that was quite pleasant instead of awkward. She didn't dwell on it, but briefly noted the train ride seemed a bit more bearable with someone there with her. She was a bit surprised when he started to speak, as Lystra was under the impression that both individuals prefered the silence. When she glanced towards him, she saw he was looking at her and waiting for an answer to his question. He'd asked her what it was like at Hogwarts, stating he'd never been there before.

Lystra was unsure if he was genuinely curious or if he was just trying to start a conversation. Either way, she didn't feel keen on answering, and so she ignored him and continued to look out the window, leaning her forehead against the cool glass. It seemed however, that he was set on trying to start a conversation, as he continued on and introduced himself to her.

"Oh and by the way my name is Seb... Roland, Roland Fleur but some people have called me Seb."

Her blue eyes drifted from the window then and she sat straighter in her seat as she let out a soft sigh. It seemed as though she had no choice but to talk with the boy. She reached up with a hand to comb her hair with her fingers, pulling out a few tangles as she fixated her gaze on the transfer student. "Well Roland, now that you've broken the silence, I suppose I have no choice but to humor you, correct?" she asked, crossing her arms comfortably across her chest.

"The name's Lystra. Lystra Scamander. It's a pleasure to... meet you." she said, though it only sounded half genuine with the hesitation. It wasn't her fault though, as she wasn't used to small talking with people.

"I don't think you want to know my opinion of the school. Subjectively, I think it's full of a bunch of idiots, but then again, that's every school. Most people would say it's a nice place however. The teachers are capable, the students are tolerable, and the food is good. There are a lot of different activities and clubs to join. Personally I enjoy those relating to the arts and sciences. Those tend to be less social and more hands on learning, which I like. I'm sure you'll find a place to fit in." she told him, her tone sounding a bit bored with the subject. Then again she didn't think he looked like the type of guy she could get into an in depth discussion about the Laws of Elemental Transfiguration with. In an attempt to be... nicer, she could at least continue the conversation they were already having.

"If I may ask, what kinds of things interest you?" she asked him, hoping to effectively remove the spotlight from her and allow him to speak.

[Alex T Crossman]

Well it looks like this going so well right now, if anything I have a great talent for getting people to be as silent as possible. If one thing was for sure he would try this new skill on Harry when this was all over and see if it works, after all he was going to get him back for this horrid blue uniform he had to wear. He didn't even look like he was a student going to school, he looked like a bloody sissy boy who dressed in female uniforms to confirm just that much. Sebastian kept glancing at Lystra waiting for an answer, he didn't have much choice but keep pressing this small talk bull. If he kept eye contact then perhaps she would relent and finally start talking to him. It was a rather ineffective tactic that relentless men used to get uninterested woman to talk to them, so what the hell he might as well give it a shot now. Who the hell was he kidding?! That stupid crap never worked, all those guys at the bars were just desperate idiots trying to get lucky, why would any self respecting person fall for something so dumb.

"Well Roland, now that you've broken the silence, I suppose I have no choice but to humor you, correct?"

Sebastian nearly went wide eyed when Lystra had broken the silence and actually talked to him, he couldn't believe it, had the stupid bar tactic actually worked. Shit... he was going to have to observe those guys some more, maybe there truly was something he could learn from a bunch of boorish drunk guys.

"The name's Lystra. Lystra Scamander. It's a pleasure to... meet you."

Sebastian definitively caught how uninterested she was in talking to him, this was definitely going to be harder then Harry had let on. When he had said she was a loner too, he had failed to mention that she was the exact same type of loner Sebastian himself was. Thats not exactly the kind of person you approach for small talk. Blasted... maybe he could just leave the train car now and put and end to the charade now while he still had some sort of dignity left.

"I don't think you want to know my opinion of the school. Subjectively, I think it's full of a bunch of idiots, but then again, that's every school. Most people would say it's a nice place however. The teachers are capable, the students are tolerable, and the food is good. There are a lot of different activities and clubs to join. Personally I enjoy those relating to the arts and sciences. Those tend to be less social and more hands on learning, which I like. I'm sure you'll find a place to fit in."

Sebastian raised his eye brows slightly, you know ironically they were a lot a like at least in their opinions of company and Hogwarts, however the part where he would find a place to fit in... yeahhh that was unlikely to ever be reality. Not while he was dressed like a blueberry you put on top of a damn iced cake. But either way he got her talking so that was something, now he just had to keep it going, how her question to him silenced him:

"If I may ask, what kinds of things interest you?"

Sebastian smiled slightly at her question and then looked away subtly not really knowing how to answer that, was he suppose to make up some crap that Roland Fleur would say or was he suppose to talk about himself as Roland? Although... this was a chance to maybe lay some common ground between them, from what Sebastian had been told she was highly interested in Transfiguration. In fact she was probably among the top ranked witches in the subject alone. Sebastian looked back with a pleasant look on his face an spoke:

"Oh me? I have a wide range of interests I am what you might call a jack of all traits as the muggles would put it. Ranging from Potions and Astronomy to Care of magical creatures and maybe some DADA, and of course one of my top subjects is transfiguration, that is very well becoming a major part of what my future will be. Its something that I really excel at. Are you interested in Transfiguration yourself?"

Sebastian posed the question as he lied through his bloody teeth which he hated doing more then anything in is life, but it was necessary to break the tension and awkwardness of this first meeting. He was fairly certain he could handle whatever talk of Transfiguration she threw his way, it was not his calling in life but he was fairly knowledgeable.

[OneWayOut]

Lystra was doing her best to seem interested in what Roland was saying, but truth be told, she didn't care in the slightest what he liked. At least she was trying to be nice. That counted for something, right? As he went on to talk about what his interest were, she averted her eyes from his face to her nails. Looking at people for long periods of time made her feel uncomfortable, and in turn, when people did that to her, she felt equally as awkward about it. When people stared at her, she felt exposed or as if something was wrong with her, even if she knew it wasn't true. It was when he mentioned Transfiguration that she immediately became intrigued. He'd said it was going to be a big part of his future. He even said he excelled at it!

Excited as she was, Lystra kept calm on the outside, thinking it was such a great coincidence that someone seemed to be just as passionate about Transfiguration as she was. When he asked her if that was something she was interested, she gave a smug smirk and flipped a bit of hair over her shoulder.

"Interested?" she laughed lightly. "Transfiguration is my specialty. I'm actually one of the top students in that class." she would say proudly. "I'm also pretty well rounded when it comes to different types of magic, but I got into Transfiguration because I'm an artist and it appealed to me in a different way at first. I've practiced for years, and now I've gotten to a point where I can use my spells in ways no one else even thinks of. Granted, I'm still trying new things and making mistakes here and there, but once I learn Conjuration and Vanishment, I know that will change everything for me."

It was obvious by her tone that Lystra was talking about something she loved, even though she was sitting in a relaxed position, one could tell by the look in her eyes that she was passionate about her magic.

"I'm in my last year here so I plan to focus entirely on my studies. If I see you around, maybe we can practice together sometime? If you're as good as you say, maybe I can learn a thing or two from you." she suggested with a shrug. "But that's only if you want to. I'm not the best company when I'm training." she admitted, trying not to look shy, but failed as she glanced away from him. It was kind of how it seemed she felt open enough to talk to him freely like this. Where as before Lystra wasn't interested in carrying a conversation, there was something about him that felt familiar... that made it seem like he was just like her in a lot of ways. Was this what it was like trying to make friends?

[Alex T Crossman]

Sebastian found himself listening intently for once in his life as she spoke, there seemed to be a new spark in her attitude, one that was not terribly cold and distant. She was more then just good at Transfiguration, no no this was one her passions in life, the thing that she has chosen to master. He knew this because DADA was the exact same thing in his eyes, the want the need to uncover every last secret, the dedication to become the best in it, the will to change it to harness it, to make it your own and show everyone around you what your truly capable of. Sebastian raised his hand and flicked his wand into his hand, with a rather quick flash of his wrist, he pointed the tip at his open palm of his other hand. Out of thin air a bright blue flame appeared in his outstretched hand and lightly floated in the grasp of his hand, holding his hand out he let Lystra see the flame before he flicked his wrist again and a glass jar suddenly formed around it. Setting it down on the seat beside Lystra he smiled again.

"Those that can can fully master the principles of Transfiguration, are the ones who are opening a door to a realm of many many different possibilities. Some of the most influential Witches and Wizards were experts in the field of Transfiguration, some even more so were legends. To master such a complicated field is to create new worlds, better worlds, more... beautiful worlds."

Sebastian became silent realizing he had just outwardly expressed his belief in Transfiguration. While it was not his forte in life, he had still practiced it immensely given that Transfiguration was a requirement in becoming an Auror. It subtly occurred to him that perhaps he should dumb down in the future on what he knows on the subject... but she had offered to possibly train with him and that was exactly what he wanted, so he had to show her at least in small ways that he was capable of doing it. But he had to digress for it would not be long now before the train would arrive at Hogwarts and he was not going to enter that school dressed at a blueberry muffin, appearances were now over and he was allowed to get properly dressed. Standing up he smiled at Lystra again and spoke:

"I must go prepare myself for the impending arrival, I have been given a set of school Robes, I am in Ravenclaw if I remember correctly so I better go get them. I would be glad to train with you if we meet up again, always enjoy someone else with a passion for Transfiguration. An please keep that blue flame as a present for letting me sit with you, it will never go out, it is tied to me so as long as I am here that flame will be too."

Sebastian opened the door to the compartment and nodded with a wave of his hand and stepped into the hallway closing the door behind him. Walking away little ways he slumped against the wall sighing in relief that he was actually able to make conversation with Lystra. Perhaps it was enough to get past the hardest part, he certainly hoped it was, slipping his wand back up his sleeve it clicked into place as he really did need to switch into his robes.

Arrival at Hogwarts

When the train had gently rocked to a stop almost immediately the doors popped open as students start filling out into the halls of the train, Sebastian however was already out the door. He had to make sure the platform was secured, it was after all the portion of Hogwarts that was not as charmed at the school itself. Looking off in the distance he saw he ground keeper ambling down the walkway yelling:

First years with me! All first years please with me!"

Sebastian trained his gaze around the grounds but he noticed nothing out of the ordinary at this point and concluded that it was safe for now, but he would keep and eye out just in case. As the students started filing off the train, Sebastian took position over by the carriages that would be transporting the final year students getting a good vantage point. For the briefest of seconds he looked over and saw the dead like appearance of the Thestrals that pulled the carriages. Reaching over he gently patted the animal on its head with a small genuine smile, the creature bowed its head as he scratched behind its ears, he really did love animals.

[OneWayOut]

When a flame a deeper blue than her eyes suddenly erupted out of nowhere into Roland's hand, Lystra gasped and leaned forward, scooting to the edge of her seat as she stared in awe at the sight before her. A moment later a glass jar formed around the small flame and he'd placed it beside her.

"You just... conjured!" she said in disbelief, staring at the small jar on her seat. Not only had he easily created fire from thin air, he'd done so without uttering a word. That meant that, just like her, he was capable of using non-verbal magic. Immediately she felt horrible for thinking this guy was just like all the others...

Average.

"Those that can can fully master the principles of Transfiguration, are the ones who are opening a door to a realm of many many different possibilities. Some of the most influential Witches and Wizards were experts in the field of Transfiguration, some even more so were legends. To master such a complicated field is to create new worlds, better worlds, more... beautiful worlds."

It was becoming clear to her that Roland, whoever he was, was someone who was just as passionate about magic as she was, and it surprised her to some extent. While she'd made no prior assumptions about what his character was like, she least expected him to be someone who was an intellectual like herself. The type of magic she specialized in was one of the hardest to master, and even adult wizards had trouble with it. Lystra was pleasantly surprised to have met someone who shared a similar interest to her, and even better, he seemed... easier to talk to. Before she was able to gather her thoughts, he spoke again.

"I must go prepare myself for the impending arrival, I have been given a set of school Robes, I am in Ravenclaw if I remember correctly so I better go get them. I would be glad to train with you if we meet up again, always enjoy someone else with a passion for Transfiguration. An please keep that blue flame as a present for letting me sit with you, it will never go out, it is tied to me so as long as I am here that flame will be too."

"Oh..." was all the could mumble as she reached for the jar and picked it up. The glass was warm to the touch and the flame flickered strongly within. She looked up towards the door again, prepared to thank him, but he was already gone.

And he didn't return for the remainder of the ride.

---

Lystra spent the remainder of her time in solitude reflecting on different things that passed through her mind, all the while holding the small jar firmly in her hands. The heat radiating off the flame seemed too intense for the size, but it was inexplainably comforting. She felt calm a she held it, and silently vowed to cherish the small item. No one other than her parents had ever given her a gift before. She made a mental note that the next time she ran into him, she'd properly think Roland for it.

Before she knew it, the train had come to a stop and it was time for her to exit along with the other students. Lystra would wait in her train compartment until the last minute however in an attempt to avoid being squished in the crowd. She ended up being one of the last to exit the train, and as soon as she did, she was suddenly uncomfortable being around so many people at once. As she went through the crowd, doing her best to avoid running into people, she paid the Thestrals no mind. She wasn't very fond of those creatures after learning what it meant that she could see them. Now, whenever she saw them, she was reminded of the reason why.

Someone bumped into her from behind and she stumbled forward suddenly, nearly falling over had she not quickly regained her balance. Immediately Lystra turned and gave a death glare to the little girl that had bumped into her.

"I'm so so sorry." she said in a small voice as she saw the anger in Lystra's eyes. She was about to tell the girl off when a taller one came up from behind her and apologized as well.

"Sorry about my sister. She's a first year here and is a little confused. Can you forgive her?" the girl said, nervously smiling.

"Just watch where you're going." she mumbled after looking between the two. She turned away from them then and started marching off in a different direction, wanting to get away from the crowd.

Lystra stopped just a few feet away from where the Thestrals were lined up and she glared at them, wishing she couldn't see them. Wishing instead that she'd had her little sister to look at rather than them. She hated being reminded that she'd lost her little sister years ago. Even if she'd accepted it and gotten through it with the help of her family, there were times when Lystra felt the pain in her heart for the little girl.

Little Lorelei...

With a sigh, Lystra would pull out her wand and apparated to the front entrance of the school.

[Alex T Crossman]

Sebastian kept an eye on the train entrances but it was hard to spot a specific person in the midst of so many other students at the same time, so he waited time seemed to tick by slowly as carriage and boats a like started to ride towards the castle. But still there was no Lystra and that was worrisome. Sebastian was getting a tad antsy now considering the train was now empty from the looks of it, but there were still a lot of kids he was probably just missing her... when the sudden sharp crack came he jumped off the side of the carriage and went towards the direction of the sound. When he got there a couple of the remaining new years were looking in astonishment at a piece of walkway, walking up to them Sebastian spoke:

"Hey guys Welcome to Hogwarts, you guys already seeing some good magic?"

As soon as he said that the two boys excitedly talked about how an older girl disappeared with a loud bang from the spot before they were collected onto the last of the boats. Blasted he already knew she had apparated out of the crowd, in fact he should have known she would do it given she probably didn't have a love of crowded area's. But the question was where she evaporated to, his guess would be to the main entrance but there was no use in taking unnecessary chances. Sebastian silently walked past the remaining students to the a small spot that was out of the way and covered by a small piece of wall. Reaching into his pocket he removed what appeared to be an old chunk of parchment.

"Time to see if this thing actually works... I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

The moment he uttered the words the parchment in his hand began to carve its own inked lines as it quickly turned into a complete blueprint for the school including people inside and locations. Well well Harry was a sneaky student apparently, with a map like this he could have done tons of after hour things and never got caught. Sebastian shuffled through the large map, eventually finding Lystra's name, she was standing idol at the entrance to the school. Yeah he should have guessed that's where she was waiting, looking around the map near her he saw no such intruders anywhere nearby. Sebastian was about to close the map when he heard a voice from behind him:

"Well well well what have we here, I think I see a rather intriguing map that if I am not mistaken was a big trouble maker many years ago."

Sebastian rolled his eye's that was no doubt the voice of the caretaker for the castle Frank Filch, grandson of the previous caretaker Mr.Filch. From what Sebastian had heard from Harry over the years he found it hard to imagine Filch having any children let alone grandchildren but that was far too disturbing to think about. Turning around Sebastian faced the all to knowing smile that indicated someone got caught.



Sebastian just gave a roll of his eye's alerting Mr.Filch to who he was so he could return to his other duties however the man walked forward holding out his hand towards Sebastian.

"I will relieve you of that map, this year won't be the return of that infernal thing. My grandfather rest his soul got driven crazy by the young hooligans that used it."

Sebastian sighed heavily as he knew that going to that meeting with the entire Hogwarts staff two days earlier was a massive waste of time, for it seemed that already one of them forgot who he really was. Howeve he did not have time for this, he had to catch up with Lystra so he smiled and spoke:

"Mischievous managed... Mr.Filch while I do enjoy seeing that all to familiar smile I am a very busy man as you have forgotten so I must be taking my leave."

Before Filch could utter a word there was a sharp crack and Sebastian was already appearing on the front walk that ended in the main entrance. Placing the map securely in his robes he started up the remainder of the path and saw Lystra right where the map had put her. Walking across the ancient stone bridge he smiled and waved to Lystra as he approached her and spoke reaching her:

"I guess we both had the same idea to avoid the crowds, go figure."

Sebastian gave a fake but real enough sounding laugh as he felt that awkward tinge in the pit of his stomach again, but at least it wasn't as bad as it was on the train.

[OneWayOut]

She had to admit, if nothing else, Hogwarts was a terrifying looking school. From a distance, the large castle loomed over the rocky and forested land below, and the sight was beautiful at best. Up close, the large bridge that let up towards the doors to the school made the castle look all the more ominous. Not to mention it was night out as usual on the first day of school. As the blonde made her way across the stone bridge, she kept her wand in her left hand, drawn for just in case purposes. She walked slowly, keeping her eyes on her surroundings and listening in on the sounds around her. She still held the jar with the flame inside, mainly because she had nowhere to put it... and partially because she just didn't want to let it go for some reason.

The heels of her boots tapped lightly as she walked, the sound, small as it was, still seemed to echo as she walked. She couldn't help her nerves as she was still not the same after what had happened. She felt uneasy at night and was always on edge, thinking that someone was watching her... following her... always right behind her.

"I guess we both had the same idea to avoid the crowds, go figure." said a sudden voice behind her.

Lystra jerked in fright and spun around, raising her wand at the person behind her. She nearly cast a spell but stopped when she saw who it was. She glared at the stone gray eyes before her that belonged to Roland and she clicked her teeth. Did this stupid guy have a death wish or something?

"You again? Ugh, don't sneak up on me like that! I could have hurt you, idiot." she said to him as she lowered her wand. How in the hell could she not have noticed him approaching her? It was as if he'd moved silently or something. She gave another look around them, clearly on edge still, before she started walking again towards the school. She didn't say anything to Roland and didn't care if he was going to follow her or not. Lystra just wanted to get within the walls of the school.

Then she could start to feel safe again.

[Alex T Crossman]

Sebastian saw the tip of the wand in his face, he had not really expected her to be so on edge within the walls however he made no attempt to reach for his own, he knew she would stop when she saw him. He almost did seem to forget that not everyone was used to nearly being murdered by a murdering lunatic dark wizard. For an Auror that was sort of the life every single day, you sort of walked day to day with your guard constantly up waiting for that one spell to come aiming at your body. He could admit that when he first became and official Auror he wasn't too keen on wands being raised at him, in fact his first instinct was to stun fast and hard and take them down before they took him down. Now though after only a couple years he was so used to it, you couldn't imagine just how many bad Witches and Wizards were truly out there in the world trying to harm innocent people, and would think nothing of taking your life to protect their own ways of life. Sebastian followed behind Lystra after she had gave him the cold shoulder and kept on towards the school, he kept a short distance behind her just in case so if any attack did occur he had opportunity to stop it. However he truly did not feel like one was coming, at least not at this point, whoever was doing these brutal murders was not going to be so brash to attack now. To do so within boundaries of Hogwarts would take careful planning and if this person had proven one thing, they were smart enough to allude capture.

"You seem a bit on edge Lystra is anything wrong? Are you expecting some students to try and play a prank on your or something?"

Sebastian kept playing stupid about the whole situation as he followed behind her.