New friends?

Atreus stopped in front of a suit of armor with a shield in its left arm. Hogwarts had so many secret rooms spread around the entire castle, and one was right behind the suit of armor. He yanked the shield to the left before it returned back to its original position.

The suit of armor then moved to the side and a door formed behind it. Whoever designed Hogwarts sure had a lovely time doing so. So many hidden rooms and at least twice as many secret passages spread around the entire castle.

Entering inside, Atreus saw the twins already there. It was quite a bit after curfew, but those two were never known for following the rules.

One of the twins was standing over a cauldron and had an ingredient in his hand. His eyes were wide open in shock that someone had found their workshop. The other's wand was frozen mid-air as he had been preparing to cast a spell on an object before Atreus entered and had the same expression as his twin.

"Well, George, looks like a snake found our holy ground," said the one over the cauldron.

"Those creatures are known to burrow where the sun don't shine, Fred."

The twin looked as if they were joking around, but they were prepared to fire spells at a moment's notice.

"I want in on your next prank," Atreus said, causing both of them to look at each other in shock.

"A Slytherin..."

"... wants to work with us?!"

"Aren't we..."

"... the bane of your House?!"

They said one after the other, each knowing what the other was about to ask.

"Yes!" Atreus nodded, "more than half of the Slytherins don't know how to have fun or the meaning of it. Plus, I can help you out with a thing or two. The nose enlargement potion wouldn't have been so effective if I hadn't spiked it up a bit."

"So that's why it worked so well!" George intoned.

"And why you didn't drink the pumpkin juice that morning," Fred nodded.

"That and because I don't like pumpkin juice. It tastes funny," Atreus replied.

Fred and George looked at each other, having a silent conversation between them. They knew Atreus was different than the other Slytherin since he had hung out with Hermione and Harry. No one else from his House would willingly spend time with a Muggleborn and The-Boy-Who-Lived. Both Hermione and Harry had told them a few things about Atreus, but they had never even considered he would volunteer to help with their pranks.

The twins turned back to Atreus with wicked grins plaster on their faces.

"I think this might be the start..."

"... of a brilliant friendship between us!"

Atreus walked over to Fred, who was brewing the potion. He looked at the ingredients there and smelled the liquid before saying, "Is this some kind of hair colour-changing potion?"

"Ohhh, I already love our little snake, Fred," said the one next to him.

"Weren't you Fred?" Atreus asked him with a raised eyebrow. He was pretty sure he was the one that addressed his twin as George a moment ago.

"That's for us to know..."

"... and for you to find out."

Atreus grinned back at them. He was starting to really like those two. His head turned to the cauldron, and he thought for a brief moment.

"It's supposed to change the colour of whoever consumes it..."

"Precisely!" Fred/George confirmed, "It's supposed to give everyone, including our new residents, a bright new neon pink hairstyle!"

After a moment of consideration, Atreus asked, "What are your thoughts on a potion that will cause the consumer's hair to change its colour every hour?"

The twins looked giddy with excitement, "That's something that we would LOVE to have in our shop! When we open it, that is."

"A shop? What kind of?" Atreus asked in interest.

"A joke shop, obviously."

"We plan on selling joke objects that will be fun and harmless."

"Well, mostly harmless, but one can't have fun without a bit of pain."

"We will probably branch out when we get some funds rolling."

"Yeah, but, to begin with, we will need funds to even open the shop."

"That sounds like a really cool idea," Atreus said, very much surprised at their goals for the future.

From the people he had talked to in Hogwarts, very few had an idea of what they wanted to do after graduation. Most of those in Slytherin just wanted to inherit their family business and Wizengamot seat. That was the typical response he got from them.

Blaise didn't have the slightest clue of what he wanted to do, and he didn't seem to care that much about it. Apparently, his family was filthy rich, and he planned on strolling through life.

Tracey was a carefree soul and wished to travel, but she planned on becoming a reporter. That fit her bubbly personality quite well, plus she was very attuned with the rumour mill of Hogwarts.

Daphne had given him the standard Slytherin response of wishing to inherit her family business, but Atreus felt like there was more to that. She was way too interested in her studies than the rest of their housemates, especially in Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, and Charms. He was sure there was something she wanted to accomplish that required all three of those classes.

"Oh? Are you interested in joining us?"

"We won't mind hiring you as an assistant."

"I can't see myself as an assistant, but maybe I could be your boss," Atreus grinned at them.

The twins frowned, apparently not liking his response. They crossed their arms and narrowed their eyes at him.

"You just joined us, but you already want to take command?"

"That's very Slytherin of you."

"Oh, no, nothing like that. I don't want to take over," Atreus shooks his head.

"Then what do you mean?"

"Well, you said you would need funds to open your shop? I can help with that. Gold isn't as valuable when one can create it whenever he desired," Atreus explained.

The twins looked at each other. The Weasleys were known for being a poor family despite being a pureblood one. The Flamels, on the other hand, were the exact opposite. They haven't been active in the Wizarding World for a long time, merely making an appearance here and there, but there was one thing everyone was aware of, they were filthy rich. The Flamels didn't have any businesses to their names, nor did they even work, for that matter. They just had an artifact that could create as much gold as they wanted to.

Atreus was their son and most likely heir as well. Mostly the older students had recognized his family name at the start of the year, but if someone knows something in Hogwarts, everyone else will learn of it shortly after. He had access to the unlimited wealth of his family, or at least the students speculated so.

The twins had heard quite a few females talking about him, especially the older ones. The rumors about Atreus being a powerful wizard were one thing, but the potential to get in on his family's unlimited wealth was something else. They would be set for life by just marrying him. The twins have heard a few even talking about how they wouldn't mind being mistresses as long as they got something out of it.

However, the biggest problem for the females in Hogwarts was that Atreus was hard to locate when he didn't want to be found. A few of the Gryffindors were jealous of Hermione as she was somewhat close to him, though she didn't seem to be interested in him in that way. Daphne, on the other hand, wasn't very liked by how close she was to Atreus.

"We... will have to sleep on your offer."

"It's not something we can accept so easily."

It was a lucrative offer, which they were strongly considering. The twins had this plan of selling whatever joke item they created to the students, but they only could get so much money from that.

"No rush, but do think about it," Atreus said.

"Why did you offer us this?" They asked. To them, it really came out of nowhere.

"Honestly, it was a spur of the moment decision. I was just impressed by your plans for the future." Or it was because the twins reminded him of what Brok and Sindri could've been if they worked together in cohesion.

"I have nothing to gain of it really, just reckoned I could help you."

The twins had to agree with that. They could get funds to kickstart their shop, which they desperately needed. Plus, they could also put his name on it and attract plenty of customers just from that, guaranteeing a steady income.

"Anyway," Atreus said, taking out an ingredient from his pouch and squishing it to mush before dropping it in the cauldron. He rotated the liquid a few times and continued, "The potion will be done in an hour, but how do you plan on distributing it?"

Atreus had no idea how they managed to put their potions in the food at Hogwarts. However, the twins always succeeded in doing their pranks during the eating periods.

"Hahaha, that's our secret, little snake."

"But we won't mind sharing since you've been soo helpful."

Atreus perked up in interest.

"We just ask nicely," the twins said with grins plastered on their faces.

"Huh? You ask nicely?" Atreus had expected some secret spell or something, but not that.

"Yep! The House Elves are our partners in crime."

"They are oh so willing to help if asked nicely."

"Ahh, that's pretty sneaky of you! You can't even get caught since technically, you weren't the ones to spike the food with the potions," Atreus nodded.

"He understands us, Fred!"

"He does, George! He is like the brother we never had!"

Both happily cheered before frowning.

"Snape always seems to know, though."

"And it's not because we are known as the pranksters of Hogwarts."

"Yeah, he takes one good look at us and knows we were the ones to do it."

"Hmm," Atreus hummed, "You should probably avoid his gaze then. Just don't look at him in his eyes."

"Oh, do you know something, oh, dear partner of ours?"

"I'm not sure, but there is a type of magic called Legilimency. Practitioners can navigate someone's mind by just looking at their eyes," Atreus answered.

"But won't we look guilty if we just avoid his gaze, not that we particularly like it?"

"Probably," Atreus agreed, "The alternative is to look into Occlumency, which is the opposite of Legilimency as it protects the mind of the practitioner."

"We haven't seen any books about those types of magic in the library..."

"... so we might have to take a trip to the forbidden section. We haven't gone there in a while."

"Is there anything else I could help with?" Atreus asked, and the two looked at him with grins.

"Oh, we have some prank items we were working on..."

"... we can surely listen to what you have to say about them?"

For the next couple of hours, the twins showed Atreus what they have already invented and also told him about what they planned to create in the future. He honestly had fun with them and planned on meeting the two for the foreseeable future. It's not like he was returning to the Forbidden Forest anytime soon - stupid trolls - and the twins were a good distraction.

After they left the workshop, the twins took off, clearly aware of the many secret passages in the castle. Atreus knew quite a few of them as well, thanks to Luna, but he just cast a Disillusionment Charm and leisurely strolled the halls. Soon enough, his blonde follower found him, and the two enjoyed walking the empty hallways of Hogwarts.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

The next day, Atreus met with the twins near the kitchen area. They hadn't even brought the concoction with them; Fred and George just tickled a pear on a painting of a bowl of fruit. The pear giggled and turned into a large green door handle, revealing the entrance to the kitchen.

The place was filled with House Elves, who were doing their jobs and preparing lunch for the students and Professors. The moment they spotted the twins, they excitedly ran up to them, waiting for their orders. Atreus knew those creatures were meant to serve others, but the House Elves should've been bonded to Hogwarts. The twins must've done something sneaky to get the selfless creatures to help them with such gusto.

Fred and George did what they told Atreus; they asked nicely, "Hey, little partners, would you please distribute the potion to the food of both the Professors and the students? We would REALLY appreciate it. It's in our workshop as usual."

The House Elves nodded excitedly with tears of joy in their eyes. They were just happy to be helpful. They disappeared with a pop and returned a second later with the cauldron. The potion was distributed equally on all the food they were preparing before the House Elves returned the cauldron back to the twins' workshop.

Fred and George turned to Atreus with satisfied smirks on their faces. Both tapped their heads and said, "Work smart, not hard."

They then left, planning for more mischief aimed at their own housemates. Atreus left, very impressed by the twins. They were sneaky and smart, with quite the future ahead of them. He really didn't mind helping out those two.

There were at least a few hours until lunch, so Atreus planned on finding one of his friends to spend the time. Blaise and Tracey were out of the question since it was the weekend, and they usually disappeared off to somewhere together, doing whatever they were doing.

Luna would find him when she wanted to. There was nothing that could stop his blonde follower. She could traverse Hogwarts like no other student or even Professor, maybe even better than Dumbledore himself.

Daphne will be in either the Common Room or the library, her preferred places to spend her time on the weekend.

Hermione was definitely in the library, probably with Harry as well, as she's been urging the boy to study more seriously. Their other friend, Ron, despised reading, so there was no chance he was with them.

With that in mind, his destination was the library. On the way, Atreus spotted Fleur with an older Ravenclaw student. Judging by her frustrated expression, she wasn't having a good time with him.

"The bibliotheque! Can you take me there? I want to see the books," Fleur said, but the boy in front of her dumbly nodded, with dreamy eyes and mouth agape.

"The book place? I want to go there!" Fleur tried again, but she received the same response.

"The liblaly?"

Atreus chuckled as he passed them; he just couldn't help himself. He was aware it was because of her Allure, but the words still came out of his mouth as he walked past the two, "You need to work on your English. I don't think he understood you."

Not even a single step later, Atreus felt a pair of eyes burn the back of his neck. Maybe he shouldn't have said that as not a second later, hurried footsteps came after him. A soft hand grabbed his shoulder and turned him around. Fleur's blue eyes bore into his as she studied him.

"It's... you?" It came out as a question but also a statement at the same time. Fleur gently pushed him towards the wall in the hallway, and Atreus could've resisted if he wanted to, but he allowed it to happen.

"Flamel! What are you doing?" The boy came over, looking at him in anger. Atreus was confused at that. Was the boy blind? He was the one being pushed to the wall, not the other way around.

Fleur shot the boy an annoyed look before she smirked mischievously, "Is he an idiot, or are you a genius?"

Atreus grinned at her. The cat was probably out of the bag, but he wasn't worried that Fleur would rat him out. At least he didn't think she would do it.

"I'd say both," Atreus said, causing the boy to redden with anger. Before the Ravenclaw could say anything else, Fleur turned to him, "Leave us! I don't need your help."

Fleur's magic flared for a bit, and the Ravenclaw walked away, not before shooting him one last angry look. Her attention returned back to him, her eyes intently staring at him, trying to figure him out.

"It's you," Fleur said once again.

"I'm sure I don't know what you are talking about," Atreus replied, making her roll her eyes at him. Fleur stepped closer, invading his personal space, which he didn't mind too much. He felt her hot breath on his face, which smelled like vanilla. Tasty.

"I didn't get to thank you properly after you saved me," Fleur said and raised her hand to his left cheek before gently rubbing her thumb on his mark.

"Ah, but I didn't do it expecting a reward. I did it because Gabby asked me," Atreus replied. He really hadn't expected anyone to thank him for it.

"You know exactly what to say, don't you?" Fleur stepped even closer, pushing her breasts against his chest. Atreus felt his heartbeat increase as she leaned in, planting a kiss on his cheek, dangerously close to his lips. She trailed kiss after kiss until she reached his ear.

"You're making this hard for me," Fleur whispered in his ear.

"I think... you are the one making it hard," Atreus said, breathing heavily. His pants had gotten way tighter after she invaded his personal space.

Fleur giggled and traced kisses on his cheek, with the last one barely touching his lips. Her hands gently caressed his chest and slowly started moving down until she grabbed something long and squeezed it.

$EHH, who dares!?!?$

Jor wiggled out of her grasp and slithered out of Atreus' clothes, staring at the perpetrator with hatred.

$My precious body is not meant to be squeezed by brutes like you! How dare you?!$

The atmosphere was broken as Fleur chuckled at the Occamy and stepped back. Atreus, on the other hand, cursed Jor to hell and back. He had really been enjoying the moment of closeness. Daphne tended to hug his arm, but no girl has ever gotten so touchy with him, and he couldn't lie and say he didn't like it.

"Can we pretend this never happened and return back to what we were doing?" Atreus pushed the protesting Jor back into his clothes and asked.

"It's a bit too late for that," Fleur giggled. She wasn't sure what had gotten into her, but the power she felt bubbling inside Atreus really attracted her. It was something else, and Fleur had just acted on her Veela instinct. A good thing Jor ruined the atmosphere because she didn't know how far she was willing to take it.

"Damn it, Jor," Atreus cursed under his breath, and Fleur continued giggling at him. Obviously, he had liked what she had done, but she couldn't help but notice that his eyes weren't glazed; they didn't have that dreamy look to them.

Atreus really wasn't affected by her Allure, but he did find her attractive. Which was to be expected as she was Veela, who were known for their beauty.

"I was looking for the library; you wouldn't mind showing me the way, would you?" Fleur asked and flared her Allure at him to see what his reaction will be.

"I think I will be happy to do it," Atreus said and tilted his head, "But stop doing that; it tickles."

"Hmmm, I will think about it," Fleur latched onto his arm, much tighter than how Daphne usually did it. However, she didn't stop her Allure.

"Do you mind showing me the scenic route? The castle isn't as beautiful as our academy, but the magic inside it makes it something special," Fleur said and leaned in next to his ear, "Plus, we can get to learn about each other on the way."

Feeling her hot breath on his neck, Atreus couldn't really say no to that, "It will be my pleasure."