Legacy and Arrival

William and Professor Fig walked through the portal frame into the fantastical hall. Their steps were slow and measured. Injury had taken its course on the duo. 

While they both felt considerable pain, the wonder of being in such a majestic place overshadowed individual feelings. The room was empty except for an ornate basin at its center, above which a Pensieve floated in the air. 

It gleamed with silver and blue radiance. Its elaborate design and costly materials would have made it worth millions in London. 

The Professor was stunned. His years of collected knowledge demanded him to be so. "That's a pensieve!"

"What's that?" William asked. The container didn't faze him; he just worried that he blew up his wand and killed his body for nothing. 

"That, my dear boy, is one of the most valuable things you'll ever see in your life… It's a pensieve. A device that stores memories, and if I'm right, we will see the memories of the man who led us here and presumably created this beautiful room that looks hand-crafted by the gods themselves."

Fig practically ran over to the pensieve, which left William stunned for two reasons: ' How can an old man run that fast, and wasn't he supposed to be injured?'

"Come on! Once we're done here, we have a sorting ceremony to attend! You don't want to miss it, do you?" the professor said with hungry eyes.

"I'm coming," William said, waddling over to the Professor. "Now, what exactly do we do," William continued, placing his hands on the basin.

"Well, first we grab this!" Fig reached for the container with anticipation covering his face. "We then open it," the click of the container echoed throughout the room. The Professor's hands were careful, but his mind was burning. He upturned the bottle, and the memory fell into the basin. 

"Now, William, follow my lead." He said as he started to move his head to the pool. "Look into the pool. Focus. Then submerge." The inky waters of the basin then consumed Fig's head.

"God, he looks absurd," William said as he reached his arm forward and poked the top of his head deeper into the pool. "Haha," his laughter bellowed out.

The Professor suddenly raised his head with angry eyes and a wet face; he grabbed William by the hair and pulled his head into the pool. "Get in there, boy! Kids these days." 

A sigh escaped his lips before he again submerged his head.

—------------------------------

Two Great wizards stood in the hall, one of whom was quite familiar to William. This was Percival Rackham, the assumed owner of the ruined manor William and Fig first explored. William had seen his statue. 

With tiny flicks of his wand, Percival terraformed the whole chamber the two men were standing in. 

The other man was unknown to William. He had a rotund body with a short and stubby figure. He swung his wand in broad movements that laid an intricate pattern on the floor. After a few moments, the room looked akin to a palace. 

The stubby man turned to Percival and said, "All is in place."

"Right, you are, Charles. The port key is hidden, and a wizard will one day come to face our trials," Percival said.

"How can you be so sure about that? You rely too much on your own abilities and not enough on the world around you. We can't just cast a die and hope a young, bright student comes walking our way. We must take matters into our own hands and solve the problems we've caused." Charles responded with furrowed brows. 

Percival looked away with a lack of concern plastered on his face. He flicked his wand, and a basin formed, then another flick for a perceive to be created. It floated In the air, defying gravity. 

"I'm not really putting it to chance, though, am I," he said, locking his eyes on the ethereal William. A slight smile appeared on his lips.

'He just looked at me!' William thought as his heart jumped out of his chest.

"Percival, it's like you don't take things seriously sometimes. This is a serious issue; you can't just brush it off."

Percival then looked at Charles with a severe expression and said, "Oh, this is a serious issue. We're entrusting our powerful secrets to a champion that could create or destroy, yes, but when you see our champion with his black hair and glowing sapphire eyes, you'll trust my decisions."

Charles' mouth twitched in anger. He turned red like a tomato and was close to screaming at his nonsensical friend, but he held himself back. "Fine, I'll trust you, but if you're wrong, I'll destroy your painting myself."

Percival let out a small chuckle as he brought his wand to his head and grasped the floating bottle. He pulled a tiny strand of light with the very tip of his wand and dropped it into the bottle. He then placed it back floating in the air, looked in William's direction, and waved his hand goodbye. 

—------------------------------

"What was that!" William and Professor Fig shouted as their heads emerged from the pool simultaneously. Professor Fig had a look of concern on his face, while William had one of curiosity. 

"He was talking about you," the Professor said.

"Me? I suppose it does make sense. So, I can see magic?"

"Traces of ancient magic, to be precise. The magic that Meriam always believed existed but could never-" he paused, "Miriam, and perhaps George, died in pursuit of knowledge that has been dormant for centuries. And you," Fig said as he placed his hand on William's shoulder and looked him in the eyes, "it seems you are the key to understanding why. When we get-"

"It all seems to look quite different," a familiar voice said, coming from behind a door that was nonexistent just a moment ago.

"Someone's coming…" Professor Fig pulled out his wand and assumed a defensive stance.

"Who were they?" Four Goblins walked down a crystalline hallway. The one in the middle was the most intimidating. He wore an expensive black robe with large draconic pauldrons.

To his left was the driver who took the wizarding duo to their vault. To his right was the Goblin guard that stopped their cart. Behind was a slightly larger Goblin welding a war hammer. 

The leading Goblin then arrived at the door and placed his hand on it. His eyes glowed with a red light, and what appeared to be red mist surrounded him. He pushed slightly, and the doors flung off their hinges. 

"I knew it," The royal Goblin said.

"Now, now, we really shouldn't be here. The specific instructions said just the keyholders were-" the Goblin that drove William and the professor chimed in. The leading Goblin looked disgusted at the chauffeur and said, "I hate traitors." He raised his hand, and the chauffeur Goblin was flung into the air. The leader then brought his hand down with as much speed as possible. The flying Goblin was immediately reduced to a bloody mess on the ground.

Professor Fig's gaze was locked onto the Goblin in front of him. He knew who this was; it was one of the most likely suspects for the murder of his wife, it was Ranrok.

Professor Fig looked around for an exit. He wanted to unleash his rage and sorrow at Ranrok but needed to protect William. He was just a student, after all. He was talented but injured and didn't have a wand. 

He looked all around the room for an exit until he saw the portal they came through. It had changed its destination from Gringotts to the woods behind Kings Cross station. The station could be seen through the portal, followed by the mighty Hogwarts castle in the background. 

The Professor turned to William and said, "Be safe."

He then pointed his wand towards William and called, "Depulsio Maxima." William's body was launched so far away, so fast, that he didn't even touch the ground before his body shot out of the portal. His vision blurred, and his consciousness waned, but he fought to stay awake. He fought so hard just to see himself barreling towards a tree. Before he could, Professor Fig cast 'Arresto Momentum' through the portal. Stopping him mid-air as he fell to the ground with nothing broken, but his mind and heart were exhausted. 

"Now, where were we," Professor Fig said as he looked at the Goblin filth before him.

"I was about to put your wizard filth into a casket and take whatever you obtained," Ranrok retorted.

They looked at each other with intensity. For Ranrok, this was just another wizard, but for Fig, this was his wife's murderer and probably the reason his best friend died as well.

Fig readied his wand and cast a few spells. "Levioso, Bombarda, Diffindo." His strategy was to lift his opponent, bombard him with explosions, and then cut him in half, but Ranrok just walked forward like it was an extra sunny day. Sweat ran down his face from the constant explosions, and his clothes were actively tearing, but he was fine as he surrounded himself with blood-red energy. It then became watery like a whip. He swung it toward Fig with utmost brutality. 

Ranrok whipped Fig's Wand hand, causing it to break and him to drop his wand. Fig wanted to scream as a tear fell down his cheek. The pain was like nothing he'd ever experienced. It was like the whips were designed only to hurt their opponent but never kill. He went down to pick up his wand with the other hand, but Ranrok whipped again towards Fig's leg. 

AHHHHHH

A cry escaped from the Professor's mouth. He picked up his wand. He had to. For Meriam, for George, for all the innocent Ranrok murdered.

No spell was hurting Ranrok; even the most potent incantations Fig muttered just bounced off Ranrok. As Ranrok walked towards Fig unimpeded, he readied his whip. 

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Fig screamed the incantation while pointing it at Ranrok. The killing curse took effect instantly as a large bolt of green lightning escaped from the tip of the Professor's wand. 

Ranrok's eyes widened in surprise as he conjured his aura into a shield and outstretched his palms. 

BOOOM

Ranrok was flung back into a pillar, destroying it. Then he flew into the wall, and cracks appeared all over the infrastructure.

Dust was thrown into the air, making half the room incredibly hard to see. 

At that moment, Fig didn't know what he saw, but it looked like a demon taking human form. Through the dust cloud, Fig saw Ranrok's typical ghostly white skin turn pitch black, with cracks of red forming across his body like magma. The flesh surrounding his mouth was gone, revealing his hideous bone-crushing teeth. Ethereal blood-red horns floated on his head. Everything in the Professor's body told him to run, so he did. He ran faster than ever, even with his injured leg holding him back.

"Are we done playing… so soon?" Ranrok's words were like that of a hundred Goblins speaking at precisely the same time. He summoned his red aura whip and started walking towards Fig. Ranrok, taking a chunk out of Fig's back with each fling of his wrist. One, two, four, six, ten. Blood streamed from his back, and his screams filled the chamber, but he continued to walk at least; the pain was intense, but he had to push through. At twelve whippings, he fell to the ground and started crawling. Burning tears streamed down his face as his hands were pulling him to the safety of the portal. His pace slowed further not only because of his weight but also because of the puddle of blood forming beneath him.

Fig's savior came in the form of a giant pure metal colossus. It appeared from the ground. The floor liquified in the middle of the room, letting it claw its way from below out from below. It was at least 90 feet tall. After finally standing, It smashed its regal mace onto Ranrok like a crusader fighting the devil himself.

Ranrok held his arm up and caught the giant mace just before it could touch a hair on his body. 

Ranrok and the giant became locked in a bitter struggle for power as the giant used its weight and strength to crush the little ant demon.

"W-W-What are you doing… here, William," Professor Fig looked up to see his student carrying him through the portal. 

"I couldn't just let you die, old man."

"I love you, you know… You're like the son I never had." Tears were streaming down Fig's bloody face as he told William over and over again how he loved him.

William carried the Professor through the portal and dropped him to the ground as softly as possible. He then reached into his pockets and grabbed ten bottles of Wiggenweld Potion, which he gracefully 'liberated' from the local train station. He then poured the potions on Fig's back. The liquid seeped into the bloody wounds. The potion latched onto the open flesh, and steamy bubbles radiated from his back. William could see it on Professor Fig's face. He had fallen unconscious, but he still felt the pain. All William could do was wait. 

He then grabbed the Professor's wand and pointed it to the portal. "BOMBARDA," he said. If his application of magical theory was correct, destroying the surface the portal was connected to would do the trick. The wall exploded, and the portal shut. William didn't know the spell, but he had watched the professor do it enough today to replicate it, at least to a minor degree. 

William then looked down at Mr. Fig. His wounds were starting to heal, and his back was beginning to close, but the truth was wiggenweld potions were never meant to be applied this way. It should be digested, not poured on a wound.

—------------------------------

Both William and Fig sat opposite each other, lying against separate trees. 

"It's really fine. I don't have to attend the sorting ceremony. You just rest up," William said genuinely.

"I don't even know how I felt five minutes ago, let alone an hour ago. The pain is fine; I'm all healed." Professor Fig said as he got up with a grunt. "Come on," he held his hand out. 

William reluctantly grabbed the professor's hand; then they were gone.

The forest was left in silence as the two apparated away. 

Professor Fig teleported them to the southern entrance of the school. It was a rickety wooden bridge with quite the personality, but that didn't mean it felt safe. 

At this point, William felt as if nothing could scare him. He encountered gods of destruction and demons filled with rage. He had enough fear to last him a lifetime. So when Fig started running across the unsafe bridge, William followed. 

The halls of Hogwarts were like a labyrinthine maze, but Fig guided his student through them masterfully. Finally, they reached the main hall entrance, gasping for breath. 

"Go ahead, look," Professor Fig said after he recovered.

William pressed inside to see hundreds of students sitting at four color-coded tables. The food they ate was nothing special but William hadn't eaten in many hours. Add all the fighting he'd done today; he could easily eat a dragon whole. 

"Alright, move." The Professor said as he pushed William away from the door. Fig looked into the cracked door and immediately made eye contact with the headmaster, Professor Black. The Headmaster didn't look pleased as he started approaching the door. 

"Let's fix you up," Fig said to William as he slowly moved his wand down the length of William's body. A Hogwarts uniform appeared on his body, fitting perfectly. It was black and gray, as William hadn't been sorted into a house yet. 

Professor Fig then did the same for himself, removing all the holes and burn marks on his clothes. The blood and dirt had thankfully already been wiped off, and if they had come into the school looking like that, he'd probably lose his job.

Professor Black arrived at the door with a scoff on his face. "Where have you been? The sorting ceremony is over…" Professor Black Paused as he made a face. It seemed he was repulsed by what he had to say next. He leaned close to Fig and said, "You're late."

"There were some complications. I'm sure there's still time left." Professor Fig seemed to recoil at Black's breath, swatting it away.

"Hmm, I suppose so." He then turned to William and leaned very close, "Come," he commanded.

'He talks to people like he's talking to fucking dogs, not to mention the personal space problem.' William thought as he followed behind Mr. Black with a disgusted expression, but as they walked through the crowds, his face soon molded into a charismatic smile.

"Mr. Luis, please sit up on this chair," Mr. Black said with tired etiquette.

William followed directions and sat. The magical artifact known as the sorting hat was then placed on his head. 

It whispered into William's ear with a comforting tune as if trying to lul William into a deep sleep. It said, "Who are you, William Lee Lewis? Who are you really?"

William thought for a moment before he answered, "I'm-"

'No need to answer; I was just probing your mind, seeing what comes to the top. Hmm, you have quite the kind heart.' The hat's voice radiated throughout William's mind.

'Kind, no. Ruthless, cunning, ambitious, yes.'

'Then what of Abraham and his sickly daughter? You left your fortune to him. Or what of your adoptive father, whom you loved until the day of his death? Or, more recently, with you rescuing Professor Fig.'

The hat continued, showing a remarkable amount of loyalty and bravery, not to mention your comprehension skills in magical theory. You could, quite easily, end up in Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw.'

'If you can so easily read my mind, you know what I truly want.'

'Ah, yes, to hold the world in the palm of your hand… is that what you truly wish?'

William didn't know why, but at that moment, his breathing became quick, and his heart raced. 'Yes,' his mind resounded with his answer. He looked at all the students in front of him with anticipation.

The hat then screamed with all it could. "We end this eventful day with the sorting of a unique fifth year. His first steps into the wizarding worlds have been eventful and full of danger, but it is my pleasure to welcome him into… Slytherin."

Cheers erupted from all tables, but Slytherin was the loudest as if welcoming the new student. 

A teacher appeared from behind William, Professor Weasley. " Go join them," she said with a radiant smile, gesturing to the table decorated with striking green.