Chapter 9

He made his way towards the room of requirement which was situated on the seventh floor.

He was disillusioned and had a myriad of charms on himself hiding him from all five senses. He did not want the place to be out in the open. Atticus looked at the tapestry and proceeded to walk three times past the tapestry.

'I need a place to practice magic' he thought three times and a door appeared.

He walked through the door and found a large room with partitioned sections. On his right was a fully decked out potions lab, next to it was a workshop that seemed like it could be used for forging.

He had intended at some point develop metalworking skills, with the aim of being capable of creating magical metals. In the back of the room was the largest section where there were over a dozen dummies that looked more dynamic than the ones that were at home.

On his immediate left was a comfortable setting not unlike a common room but more orientated towards studying.

Atticus dropped his bags and began to move towards the duelling room. He had not trained for some time despite having a duelling room in his trunk. Atticus fired Bombarda hex at the dummy which blew to pieces.

The dummy began to self repair after thirty seconds which Atticus was pleased about.

Atticus began his routine and fired numerous hexes and curses at the dummies, varying the strength of the spells he was firing. He was practicing his control over his magic, fine tuning his output.

After an hour of demolishing dummies, he proceeded to the potions lab. In the year before starting Hogwarts, Atticus had practiced brewing potions from the various potions books he had gotten from around the world.

He had carefully practiced methods and made adjustments, figuring out the magic and interactions between ingredients.

He put on the protective equipment and began brewing the sleeping draught. It was merely a second year potion but it was one of the most varied potion around the world. The base was similar enough across all the variants but the subtle differences were interesting.

He had found that the Chinese version of the draught was the most potent but also the most expensive in terms of ingredients. He experimented with that variant the most and had found a good mix between ingredient use, time and potency.

After successfully brewing the potion, with a dark purple appearance, he had enough for six doses. He bottled the perfect brew in six vials and packed them away. He would be using one of them in the break against Morfin.

He only had an hour before curfew so he decided to continue building his Occlumency. He had progressed well in his mental defences but there many things he could be doing to improve his mind.

He had become excellent in developing separate thought streams in the last few years. His maximum was three but the most effective and the one that put his mind in the least amount of strain was two. Every day in class he would utilise two different thought streams.

The one that wasn't focused in class would be focused on theory. He had a number of theories regarding transfiguration, such as permanent transfiguration and transmutation that he would spend time investigating. With atomic knowledge, the process of permanent, or at least near as permanent transfiguration was something that should be feasible.

After all, the length of time that a part is transfigured is dependent on power. If you were capable of transfiguring at a molecular level, what would happen to the transfiguration?

He wouldn't have time to try it out today but he intended to work on it the next time he was in the ROR.

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The months leading up to Yule had progressed fast. Once Atticus showed his competence in his classes and quickly became known as a prodigy to the students and the teachers.

The rumour mill in Hogwarts seems to be working just fine, even in this era.

The students had begun approaching him and introducing themselves. He helped them with the things they had problems with and he quickly became known as helpful.

Within a day of showing himself to be helpful, it had circulated all around the school that he was extremely intelligent, skilled and importantly helpful.

There were some who were jealous and insufferable in their own inadequacies but Atticus had navigated it well considering he was used to such treatment though this time it had been immensely more amusing.

The positive image he had allowed him some leeway and he had asked his Head of House for a room dedicated as a workshop and a private room in which he could work in. He had been granted it and he had found himself a decently large room a floor down from his common room.

The effort that Atticus was putting in was noticed by his professors, especially the quality of homework he was submitting. In terms of practical work, he was often given additional work and Atticus had continuously shown his capabilities and surpassing their expectations.

Dumbledore seemed like he would be a problem as he didn't hide his interest in him all that well and though he didn't acknowledge his talent all that much.

He was...displeased that Dumbledore was vested in him but in some way he was not disappointed as it helped paint a picture of the man.

His head of house, Slughorn and Brown were delighted in his capabilities. Slughorn had been inordinately pleased to find that he was modifying his potions to the degree he was and had a number of conversations with him regarding different recipes across the world.

He hadn't shown him the notebook of potions, he wasn't sure if he would ever show Slughorn as he didn't want his hard work stolen from him as Slughorn, for all his positive demeanour, was a sharp individual and one who was a slippery individual.

He had made headway with permanent transfiguration and had found that if you intimately know the atomic bonds of the material you were transfiguring, along with the material you were transfiguring to, your transfiguration would last much longer with the magic you put in. Atticus had looked for weeks in transfiguration books for any hints that this was a discovery known to the world.

After months of ingratiating himself with Professor Brown, he intended to have a conversation with her regarding his capabilities in transfiguration before it was time to head home. He had mentioned to her his successes and results each week and so had built up a good relationship with her.

Atticus arrived at Professor Brown's office and knocked.

"Come in" he heard Professor Brown shout out.

He entered the room and saw the professor behind her desk with a number of thick tomes littered across the surface of the desk. It had fit the professor. She was a researcher first and foremost and was someone who frequently contributed to the Transfiguration Weekly magazine.

She looked up from the parchment she was writing on and gave him a small smile as she greeted him. "Good afternoon, Mr Sayre. Please have a seat." She said as she gestured to one of the chairs in front of the desk.

Atticus nodded and thanked her and sat down "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me Professor"

"Oh, don't worry about it" she waved away as she gave him a warm smile "I'm always happy to meet one of my students and you're one of my best students so it's a pleasure"

Atticus gave her a genuine smile and inclined his head slightly "Thank you professor, it means much to hear such praise from you."

She simply smiled at him and Atticus continued "I came here today to discuss..."

Atticus scratched the back of his head as he paused "Well, ever since I could remember, I've always been interested in Transfiguration, even among all other forms of magic and so I've spent years studying the branch of magic at home" he paused. "I haven't particularly advertised it but I've studied ahead in most of my subjects, especially transfiguration and I've gotten to the point of starting fifth year curriculum."

Brown looked surprised as her eyebrows rose "Mr Sayre, are you telling me that you have completed four years of curriculum before the end has finished?"

He nodded "If you like, I can show you?"

She flicked her wand, banishing the books and parchments that littered her desk. "We'll start from the match to needle exercise working our way up, going through all the other exercises in order"

He nodded and decided to do all the exercises silently, showing true mastery of the exercises. As he continued from exercise to exercise, Professor Brown's eyebrows steadily climbed in disbelief at his capabilities. Going through four years of curriculum had taken just over an hour, as Atticus went through the practical explaining the theories, showcasing that he indeed understood everything.

She seemed to be in a stupor and stunned into silence as she contemplated his performance. She shook her head and cleared her throat "Mr Sayre, I have to say, if anything, I severely understated your talent even though I presume that you had hidden it?" she asked inquiringly intending to find out his reasoning. Atticus nodded slightly and grimaced "I didn't want show off" he paused for a short moment "but now I feel like it would be better if I showed what I was capable of and perhaps progress to a pace that suits me better?" he shrugged "The classes have been a little bit too slow" he stated sheepishly.

This had gotten a reaction from her, a disbelieving one with a mixture of amusement but she got herself under control quickly enough "Yes, I imagine it would be boring and non stimulating to go through material you knew already knew intimately" she said trailing off in thought.

She snapped back at him "It's clear that keeping you in first year would do you a disservice. Moving up classes is at the discretion of the subject professor and of course the head of house and normally would not require input from the headmaster." She paused

"Given that you would be moving up multiple years however, is something that I will be discussing with my colleagues. Even if you don't get the approval, I will continue to assign you advanced materials and set you practical work in line with fifth year." She cocked her head "If that is something you would like?" Atticus smiled at her and nodded "Yes professor that sounds great. Thank you!"

She smiled gently "No need to thank me." She shook her head

"I have not seen such talent in all my years teaching here and it would be a disservice to the branch for me to not foster your talent. You should be receiving some confirmation regarding the school's decision before you return from the Yule break" she said politely with some warmth in her tone.

He bid her goodbye and smiled at the likelihood of getting what he wanted whilst he proceeded to go towards the room of requirement. In the months since he first entered the room, he sorted through the room of hidden things and he was astonished at the amount of things there were in there. Most of the items were simply junk that had no true value beyond sentimentality though perhaps if some of the items such as leather chairs, sofas and so on were restored, they could be resold in a sort of niche antique market.

The books that were present were mostly simply books of the Hogwarts curriculum but there were certainly some books that were precious that he had found so far. A notable book he had found was an old notebook that was in German that was written by an individual named Jan Hensel that was primarily notes on spell creation and had a number of spells the individual had created.

Atticus had perused it with fervour and found his work to be truly good. There were a number of books in the Sayre that helped him with understanding spell creation but they were difficult to absorb but Hensel's work had been simplified and greatly aided his understanding.

He had looked up through the school graduation records and hadn't found him there until he looked him up in the school records of staff and found that he had been teaching from 1723 to 1769 as a Charms Professor.

Typical spell creation books focused on the wand movements required for branches of magic, such as charms or transfiguration, which Hensel's notebook did the same but he expanded on it massively, explaining shortcuts and movements that optimised performance and effectiveness of the spells you intended to create.

In the majority of books, explanations were given that clockwise twirl was better for transfiguration but a counter clockwise twirl was better served for advanced charms. Hensel had expanded further on this, creating a detailed chart which explained wand movement to ridiculous detail.

It also explained the findings he had when he used approximate Latin words to bind wand movements to the purpose of the spell.

The words themselves did not have power, not truly, but what they did was creating meaning to the magic cast. The notebook had broken down how to approximate such meaning to the spells you intended to create. In general, it was a wonderful find.

So far, Atticus was certain he hadn't explored more than ten percent of the room of hidden things. He called Tweenie to the room and found it was possible to invite an House Elf in the room. He had asked if the Hogwarts elves would know of him arriving and Tweenie had stated that the elves wouldn't be able to find him in this room.

Honestly, the number of security flaws that Hogwarts had was kind of depressing. Tweenie hadn't had much to do, now with him off to Hogwarts so Atticus asking Tweenie to sort separate dangerous artefacts into the numerous trunks that were in the room was something Tweenie had been pleased about.

He intended, once Tweenie was done sorting through the room, to ask Tweenie to read a number of muggle books that would aid his later plans.

A number of them were detective novels and spy novels. He intended to train Tweenie in spy work and have him later train other elves.

Elves were by far the most underused and ridiculously useful species. Honestly, he was glad the majority of Purebloods had no idea how underutilised the lovely little things were. He intended to clean out all the elves the ministry had and find a way to liberate some elves from the darker families.

Atticus shook his head and found himself on the seventh floor. Today he would find out if the room was capable of far more.

He had a suspicion that the room was far more complex and capable of much more than there had been hints of. 'I need more time, I need more time, I need more time' Atticus thought as he paced three times in front of the tapestry.

A door appeared and Atticus walked through it. The room that greeted him had been void, with only candles and a chair marring the featureless room. Atticus was uncertain from what he was seeing. He made his way to the chair and found a thin book sitting on the chair.

Atticus lifted it up and saw the title. Time Room and How To Use It – By R. Ravenclaw. Atticus eyes had widened and he quickly sat down and began to read through it.

The book explained the mechanism of the room, though not in detail but enough to give an understanding to the user of how it worked. The room was directly tied to the leylines and could only be used when the wards weren't at their maximum. It explained that the magic used to create the Time Room function of the Chamber of Creation, which seemed to be Rowena's description of the ROR, was heavily rooted in advanced chronomancy, the study of time and space. Atticus looked up from the book and became lost in his thoughts.

The book explained that the Time Room was within a separate dimension specially created. An hour in this room would function a minute outside of it and the toll on the body would not reflect the hour spent in the room but rather the minute in the normal dimension.

It meant that the magic he spent in the room would not be replenished at the rate it would normally and that he would have to be careful expending it. Atticus did not discard the sheer frightening reality that Rowena was capable creating this. Creating a separate dimension that lied adjacent to the normal universe whereby time ran differently was truly shattering.

He laughed and didn't cease for more than a few minutes. Salazar Slytherin, the greatest of the four? Atticus shook his head, Rowena Ravenclaw had Salazar beat beyond any doubt with this and even if he finds out that Salazar had groundbreaking magical findings, he would still contend that Rowena was by far the greater magical.

He knew that magic was capable of many great things but creating your own dimension? he marvelled at the notion.

He was beginning to truly understand that magic was just ridiculous and capable of anything. He would find a way to create his own dimension at some point and he most certainly will do all he could to create his own Chamber of Creation before he left Hogwarts.

He now had a place whereby he could truly dedicate himself to magical arts which abated his concerns of tight deadlines.

He would not be surprised if his eyes twinkled the same damn way Dumbledore's did at this precise moment. He would go to Diagon Alley during the break and purchase another trunk that he would leave in this room, filled with all the books he would need and with a number of rooms that would help him maximise his use of the room.

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Albus Dumbledore POV

The end of the first term of teaching had come and Albus was seated in his seat to the right of Dippet as the rest of the staff arrived. This was done every year since before Nigellus Black's reign.

It was to get the measure of how well the students were doing and to see if there were any problems that required resolving. It was his third year as Deputy Headmaster and fifteenth year as Defence Against the Dark Arts professor.

He would soon change his subject and become the Transfiguration Professor once Miranda Brown retires from the position in three years time.

After everyone had been seated, Dippet cleared his throat and began "Thank you all for joining me." He greeted everyone as he sat at the head of the table. "Are there any pressing concerns that requires any attention from us?" he asked

He had taken the role of noting down any problems in Dippet's stead for the last few years. He dipped his quill in the inkpot near him and began in preparation.

"The feud between Michael Edwards and Florent Bellingham has already kicked off" Daphne Goshawk said exasperated. The feud between the boys was already approaching an infamous level.

It had been an ongoing thing ever since their first year and they were in their fourth year now. It seemed that detentions and points had not deterred the boys from causing problems. "I have warned them that any further actions taken by either of them will result in both their parents becoming informed of their behaviour and that it may well proceed in further disciplinary actions that may well lead to suspension"

Dippet sighed "I agree. You have my approval to deal with it as you see fit" he inclined. Albus did not believe suspension should be an option to take, just for misbehaving boys. He did not voice it however as he knew that it would not received well.

"Now, is there anything else?" But no one saw any further

"Excellent" Dippet stated. "How are the first years settling in? Are there any concerns worth bringing up?" he inquired.

He spoke up "My first years are settling in well. There was a little concern with one of the muggleborns, a Michael Macklesfield who had difficulty meshing with the magical raised students but now misunderstandings have been cleared" he cheerfully stated.

It was something that happened every now and then, less so nowadays with the way the muggle world seemed to progress.

Dippet inclined his head in acknowledgement and looked at the rest of the staff. Slughorn and Goshawk had nothing in particular to raise regarding their first years.

Though, he mused to himself, it is not as if Slughorn would bring up anything in particular unless it's a case that requires his or Dippet's attention which in all his years at Hogwarts had resulted in less than two occasions and both yielded unsatisfactory results which had aggravated them all. He sighed inaudibly and taken out of his musings when Michais spoke up

"Not a concern as such" Michais said "But I feel it's important to highlight Mr Sayre's educational needs"

Dumbledore slightly straightened out. He had heard about the boy's capabilities in Transfiguration from Miranda. He had been stunned when she told him that he was capable of fourth year spells and knew the curriculum up until then as well.

It had not been the first time he had heard about the young Sayre heir. The boy had had informed Dippet and himself regarding his familiar and it had been a great surprise. There had never been a Thunderbird familiar on record before him.

He wasn't keen on allowing a XXXX magical creature to reside in Hogwarts but he had no real reason to disallow it unless it proved dangerous.

The second occurrence had been when Garrick had informed him regarding the boy's wand and power and he had grown concerned.

The wand wood and the cores brought a sense of foreboding. Garrick had stated that the boy had vast capability of bringing about change but he also had the capacity to bring countless death should he fall on the wrong side of the coin.

The Sayre family were once more than an idle curiosity in his youth. The Sayres were a family that he and Gellert had investigated in their search for the Hallows.

They were the only family left that hailed from the same place and time as the Peverells. The Hyswels were only a relatively recent extinction as they had died out mysteriously about seventy years ago, well before either of them had been born.

The Sayres were a family steeped in a rich history of craftsmanship and magic and they had thoroughly checked to see if they could have created the Hallows but there was never a link between the family and the Hallows. Despite that, it was still a family they investigated regardless to the Hallows.

They had thousands of years of alliance with the Peverells and stood next to them above the rest of the magicals in the Isles.

There were myths regarding the family that only the Peverells and perhaps a select others could rival. Tales of extraordinary capabilities, of actions and retributions.

He had met the elder Sayres a number of times over the years and he sensed their magic. Their magic had felt strong, well above the average mage but he could not sense beyond that as it was difficult to scale strength unless it was overwhelming or underwhelming.

He had sensed the boy's magic when he was sorted and it had shocked him. The boy's magic was stronger than the strongest fifth year! It had been astonishing and it made him severely weary. The boy had excellent control for one his age. He had observed him from a distance and while he had a number of fellow Ravenclaws he was friendly with, he wasn't necessarily close to anyone.

He seemed distant from most people but he had not seen anything that is too concerning, behaviour wise.

Young Atticus Sayre reminded him of himself and Gellert and it was disconcerting to see another such boy like them already among them. He sighed.

"The boy is far and above the rest of his year group, at the very least in transfiguration" Michais frowned

"Most likely in Charms as well as he had completed the practical work in one try. Miranda had said that the boy alluded that he was capable of more but he hadn't wanted to stand out too much" he then smiled wryly "until it became evident that his time at Hogwarts would be largely wasted if he remained on the course he was currently on"

At this point, Albus couldn't help but interject "He is simply a first year Michais, no matter how smart the boy is. It wouldn't do to favour him" before Dippet could say anything.

Michais rolled his eyes "Don't forget Albus, I have been teaching at this school for longer than you have been alive and Miranda has been teaching since you yourself attended this school!" Michais said with some heat

"I am more than aware of the capabilities of students and Mr Sayre is smart enough to skip years of the curriculum in each of his class if what the assessments of his teachers are true. It is not unusual for students to skip years if they are proficient."

Michais then sighed and rubbed his eyes "The more astounding fact that Miranda relayed was that he was capable of doing every single exercise, to perfection, back to back without feeling any kind of exhaustion." He then looked at Dippet "The boy is a magical powerhouse on top of being a genius." He finished

"Truly" Dippet asked at which Michais nodded slightly. Dippet rubbed his chin in thought and turned towards Horace "What do you think Horace, is Michais' assessment correct? Should he be offered to skip years if he tests out?"

Horace glances over to Albus but he continues in clear excitement "He is a genius! He's been modifying potions and had shown me the modifications he has made to all of the first year potions!" he beamed excitedly.

"He helps his fellow students when he can" He frowned at this point and Albus narrowed his eyes awaiting what he had to share

"It is clear that he knows more but hadn't insisted in sharing more. I'm excited to see what he is willing to share. Although I'm also quite certain that he isn't as excited about potions as he is about other subjects such as Transfiguration. I've asked him what he wishes to become and he stated that he wanted to become a magical researcher capable in many branches of magic" He finished

Dippet nodded at Slughorn and turned towards Albus "What do you think Albus?" he inquired

Albus sighed inaudibly. He was concerned about the prowess of the boy and it seemed that his fellows were enamoured with the boy. He hoped he would be able to slow the boy's progress down lest he go into the direction he feared he might "The boy is talented in DADA and he has reflexes that are wonderful. I have no doubt he will be an excellent duellist if he chose that route."

He closed his eyes momentarily "He reminds me of myself and another. I too went through my studies as fast as I could and look at where I am and where my former friend is. One stuck at Hogwarts, unable to say or do anything as my former friend rampages through Europe, committing atrocities after atrocities. I do not wish Mr Sayre to turn out to be like myself or worse my former friend. He is incredibly powerful for his age and I have observed the boy and while he isn't closed off, he is not so close to his friends as others are with theirs." He shrugged and opened his eyes and looked at Dippet "It's a no from me. I do not wish to advance him in his DADA class, no matter how adept he is." He finished casting his eyes beyond Dippet's shoulder.

Fawley breaks the silence "I understand you Albus but not everyone is like you or Grindelwald and it is not fair to expect them to turn out like that without evidence." He sighed "He is getting bored and boredom for one such as him can cause problems and turn towards routes that are ill advised for anyone, let alone a 12 year old boy, if he believes we have nothing to teach him."

Slughorn interjected at that point "Besides Albus, the Sayre family have always been a grey family and they have never spawned a Dark Lord. You really are chasing shadows at this point" he pointed out.

Dippet soaked it all in and hummed as he was in deep thought. He snapped out of it and pulled a parchment and starts writing on it "Very well. Michais, you are to offer him the chance to test out of his classes and move up in accordance to his level."

He continued to write and when he finished he handed Michais the parchment "He will not be allowed within the restricted section until his third year unless it is for a good reason and I've signed off on it." He stated.

Dippet looked across the room "It seems that Mr Sayre is a genius and I ask you all to nurture his talents in magic and help him grow in responsibility with his capabilities. Thank you all. Dismissed" Dippet finished.

One by one everyone left save Albus. Dippet was facing away from him but it had not mattered "Albus, you have been dismissed."

"But Armando, you ar-" Dippet swing around and a furious expression came across his face "No Albus! Do not presume to know better than I, someone who is over two hundred years your elder!" he roared at Albus which he visibly recoiled from. Dippet visibly calmed down and shut his eyes briefly before opening them and focused intently at Albus

"I understand your reticence regarding talented children but that is the purpose of this school" he said more gently than he thought he would be subjected to.

"Beyond teaching magic, this is a school to raise the next generation of magicals to the best of our abilities. This means we bear responsibility in ensuring that we meet the educational needs of our charges and psychological needs. Your paranoia, while not necessarily malicious, can be detrimental and I hope you reflect on what I'm saying Albus" he said softly.

Albus sighed "Yes Armando" he sighed and made his way out of the door. He shook his head and was lost deep in thought.

 He did not like the way Armando had spoken to him and it galled him. He knew Armando was incredibly well versed in magic but he knew he had valid concerns about the boy. He would keep an eye on the boy but he would step back a little bit and continue to observe him.

He never liked that students could move up in classes if they showed they were capable of it. He knew he was being hypocritical given that he himself was allowed to move up in Transfiguration, Potions and Charms but given how he turned out, he did not believe children had the wisdom to curb the arrogance intelligence and capability that came with it. He sighed.

It would be something he would look to change once he ascended to Headmaster.

Knowledge was a dangerous tool and the magical world had suffered intensely over the centuries by powerful magicals who caused mayhem and murder. Ever since the ministry began to exert its influence and power, the number of dark wizards capable of grand destruction had dwindled as they limited knowledge.

He agreed in principal with their methodologies though he was an exception to this. He knew the fallacies of power at a great cost and the vast majority would be unable to self reflect and contain themselves.

He would ensure that another Gellert wouldn't plague them for as long as he lived.

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Atticus stepped of the Hogwarts Express with Fila on his shoulder and his trunk in his pocket. By now the students were used to the boy who had a thunderbird as a familiar he amusedly mused to himself. He had spent the journey on the train with Pyrites, Rowle, Greengrass and Macmillan.

He'd say if he had any friends, they would most likely be counted in that category.

Atticus broke out of his thoughts and looked around on the platform, looking for his family.

He walked forward and before long, he found them in the gaps of strangers as they stood waiting on him. He saw Sophia waving enthusiastically and couldn't help but a give a small smile in response. He paced a little bit quicker and moved towards to her. Sophia rushed forward and enveloped him in a warm hug.

"I missed you too dear sister" Atticus said teasingly which had earned him a smack on the back of the head after they had parted.

She sported a large smile and pulled him towards the rest of the family who were waiting. Benedict hadn't come but both his parents were there.

"Hello son" his father said warmly. "You look well. Looks like Hogwarts agrees with you." He said

Atticus laughed "Yes, the castle is brilliant." Atticus sighed wistfully. It was a wonderful castle. It was impressive but what made it wonderful was the magic the castle emanated.

He was broken out his thoughts as his mother hugged him warmly "Ah my little boy, back from his first term of Hogwarts! I've missed you at home" she said softly in his hair.

Atticus wrapped his arms around her and let himself taken in by her warmth. He missed her presence though he would never admit it in front of anyone not his family.

She was after all, the first person who he was able to feel love for.

"I've missed you too mother." He said chuckling as they parted. They made their way to the apparating point. When they reached the apparating point, Atticus unshrunk his trunk and pulled out the cage for Fila and put her in it. His father had taken the trunk while his mother took the cage.

Sophia grabbed hold of his shoulder and apparated them both away from the platform.

After returning home, he caught up with everyone, including his great grandfather and Ms Florence, telling them of the people he had met and his classes so far, though he had left out his meeting with Professor Brown.

After a few days of resting, Atticus began prepare himself for stealing the Resurrection Stone. He intended to get it over with as soon as possible and spend the rest of the time training his magic.

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He walked through Little Hangleton at close to midnight. Little Hangleton was a rustic village which was in its ember years, decay setting in, becoming defunct.

Little Hangleton was a small village part of Greater Hangleton which was located near Surrey in South East England. He didn't know much about the Riddle family but he believed that they were a prominent family around these parts.

He shook his head and made his way towards the shack which was only a few minutes away. He passed the Little Hangleton Cemetery a little while ago which famously was where Riddle and Wormtail conducted the ritual to revive him.

Atticus got past the bridge and about a hundred yards away he got to see the shack and the trail that lead to it.

"Tweenie" he whispered *pop* "Yes master Atty?" Tweenie asked.

"Please bring the sleeping potion" he stated and soon enough Tweenie came back with the Sleeping Draught he had brewed a little while back. He was going to stun Morfin and make him down the sleeping potion which would be in the drink he took to bed each night. It had been convenient to discover that Morfin was a rampant alcoholic.

He walked through the shack and saw that it had extensive expansion charms within the home. He walked through the dilapidated shack and was assaulted with a mildly uncomfortable stench.

Luckily, there were no snakes located within the home and he wandlessly made himself silenced, odourless and featherlight. He walked through the hall and came across the door that presumably led towards the living room where he could hear inaudible mumblings.

His heart was pounding and he felt briefly that he was taking risks doing this so young but he ruthlessly shut it down and peeked through the door. Morfin was seated in an old chair that was well past it use by century with a drink on the table next to him facing away from the door.

He turned his gaze towards the door and could see that it would creak but luckily he knew a number of silencing spells, one of them was for inanimate objects and he cast it on the door and pushed the door open. He snuck carefully and he hit Morfin with a stunning spell which knocked Morfin out. Atticus let out a brief sigh out of relief and made his way around to face Morfin.

He looked at Morfin and grimaced. The man was ugly and had severe issues. His skin was yellow and his nose was crooked. His mouth was wide open and Atticus could smell a mixture of the stench of alcohol and rancidity of something.

He dropped the potion in the glass and lifted it up to meet Morfin's lips and poured it down his throat. Morfin choked a little, coughing but he proceeded with it. Soon enough the glass was empty and seemed like the effects of the potion was fully in effect.

Atticus grabbed Morfin's hands and found the ring on his right hand, on his ring finger. The ring was golden with the all too familiar black stone embedded in it. It was a tasteful ring.

He hoped that the ring wasn't cursed and he cast some basic detection spells that he could do wandlessly and it came up clean. He grabbed the hand and carefully slid the ring off the finger and the ring rested in his hand.

He was mesmerised by the ring and sat down on the desk and inspected the ring. The stone was as black as the night with the all too familiar sign of the deathly hallows.

He suspended the ring mid air and began to see if he could pull of the stone from the ring and found that it was definitely magically embedded in.

He cast finite at the ring and began pulling the stone from the ring but he had found no such luck. He sighed and cast a number of cancelling spells on the ring until the last one found success and he once again tried pulling the stone from the ring and found success.

The stone was finally off the ring and it rested on his hand. Atticus had been able to feel the magic emanating from the Stone and it was far different from what he usually sensed. It felt like...he didn't quite know what it felt like but it felt nothing like what he was used to. He inspected the stone, taking every single detail, from the weight of the stone to the look of the stone.

In any case he brought out a small casing he had made for it and put it in the case. He intended to make a chain to fit the casing and wear it on him once he determines that it had no ill effect.

In his other pocket, he took out a black stone that was as black as the stone itself but he would have to shape it to match the look of the real Resurrection Stone.

He went to task and had it completed within a few minutes and proceeded to fit the stone onto the ring. It had fit and he proceeded to put some long lasting sticking charms to ensure the stone didn't fall off the ring.

After a few minutes, the task was complete and Atticus slid the ring back onto Morfin's finger.

Atticus made his way through the house and out of it, getting to the stone bridge and Atticus audibly sighed in relief. "Tweenie!" *pop* "Yes Master?" he asked enthusiastically. "Please take me to my room." He said tiredly. Tweenie complied and soon enough they were home. Mission complete.

----------------------------------------------Break----------------------------------------------

The remaining time over the Yule break had been spent with either his family or him practicing his wandless magic.

He had found a number of watches in his forays in the ROR and he had taken a couple of them apart and had them memorised in sequence. His exercises during this period involved of carefully taking them apart without gestures and putting them back together. It was a tiresome exercise that stretched his focus but it had been rewarding.

He had stretched his magic, washing the watches over with his magic, familiarising himself with how it all felt with his magic and then taking it all apart. He had gotten to the point that he was able to do so without his eyes open though it had taken him more than a few times to get a handle on it.

He was able to see through his magic in a manner of speaking when he infused his magic with the items and used this to do it without opening his eyes.

He made his way towards the dining room as it was lunch time and was greeted by his family who were all present. Atticus tuned out most of the conversation and was thinking on what he was going to do when he returned to Hogwarts.

Atticus snapped out of his thoughts and listened to the conversation. They were talking about Sophia's prospects. She was graduating in June and she was pondering on what to do.

The situation in Europe was increasingly unstable and many of the business connections the Sayre family had were centred in Europe. Luckily there were extensive interests that the Sayre family held in the States and so if Sophia were to apprentice for the family business, she'd predominantly work in the States, overseeing the division of the business there.

The division in the States predominantly centred on the production of household products such as everlasting candles and furniture. It wasn't a huge market in truth and the Sayre family were only among a number of families that held a decent amount of market share worldwide.

He intended to produce artificial lighting through runes when he has a little bit of time which would hopefully supplant the candle business. He was going to ensure that the runic scheme would be protected and also that it had a maximum amount of hours, ensuring that it is a consistent source of income.

After a little while everyone broke off and went their separate ways until they reconvened again at dinner.

Midway through the meal, an owl arrived intended for him. Atticus grabbed the letter which had grabbed everyone's attention but set it down and would read it after the meal. After he finished his meal, the curiosity levels at the table was peaked and everyone was waiting what it might be about and Atticus began to open and read it. Atticus smiled widely which prompted his mother "Atticus, what is the letter for?" she asked.

Atticus looked at her and simply gave her the letter. She took it and began reading it, eyebrows rising all the time. She looked at Atticus with pride beaming through "Oh Atticus, this is wonderful!" she exclaimed. His father took the letter and read it and passed it on towards the rest of the family.

"Atticus, while I'm proud of your achievements and I have no doubts that you will do excellently and test out of your year, do you not think that you are pacing yourself a little too much?" he asked concerned.

He shook his head "Father, the lessons I'm currently in are truly dreadful for me" he sighed and looked at his father "I'm so far ahead that I'm wasting my time in class. I'm truly thankful that they are willing to allow me to test out which will help me tremendously in achieving what I want to achieve" he said passionately.

Benedict cocked his head "And what is it that you wish to achieve?" he asked curiously.

Atticus simply smiled at him with amusement glinting out of his eyes "To become the very best magical to ever exist of course!" he said with dramatics which Sophia rolled her eyes at but she was sporting a smile nonetheless

"You're growing too arrogant little brother." She said with a little bit of exasperation in her voice "I'm glad however that you are allowed to test out. You've always loved magic, far more than anyone I've ever met so I'm not surprised you're so far ahead" she said.

Atticus smiled at her and shrugged "We have magic and our lives are all rooted in magic. How could I not be enthralled by it all?" he said with a smirk.

From there, the conversation revolved on how far along he was in his subjects and Atticus admitted that he was more than a couple of years ahead in all of his classes though he wasn't all that far in Astronomy, Ancient Studies and History as he never truly put in effort in comparison to the other subjects.

Before too long, it had been time to return to Hogwarts and Atticus boarded the Hogwarts Express and went searching for his Ravenclaw friends.

Atticus found Eden and Nymera seated together and entered the compartment

"Hello Atticus" Eden greeted warmly "Good break?"

Atticus returned the greeting and stated "Yes it was pretty good. It was nice to see the family again". From there, they all talked about their holidays and before too long, Pyrites and Rowle joined them in the compartment who themselves had talked about their breaks.

They arrived at Hogwarts soon enough and routine had once again started. Atticus spent the majority of his time in the ROR, either sorting through the junk for any valuables with Tweenie or he would spend it reading through the numerous books he had in the Time Room. He timed the amount of time he'd be spending in the room and he was spending the roughly 96 hours each day in the Time Room. He found that while he did not feel drained physically, he was drained mentally which he had investigated as he through the book.

The books stated that while the physical body did not age or require nourishment mentally the room would tire individuals out if the individual exceeded 150 hours each day. So Atticus limited himself to 120 hours maximum but most often did not reach that amount of time.

In the letter that he had been given regarding testing out, it was confirmed that his testing would occur at the end of the year and that he should be spending his time while not in class studying for it.

His time in class was predominantly spent helping others out in their work. His popularity and he supposed notoriety was at an all time high and had broken some of their apprehension given the family Atticus was from.

The social dynamics of Hogwarts was interesting. He had observed the interactions of the various houses and those within the houses and had gotten a decent image of the situation now. Muggleborns were not the majority, not so close but they were still a large minority relatively.

They faced overt discrimination from the Slytherins and often targeted while they were mostly treated with indifference and perhaps ignorance by the rest of the houses. They clumped together more often and the houses that showed less of a division were the Hufflepuffs and the Gryffindors.

Ravenclaw was more elitist if he was honest and intensely competitive. He more than once had been subjected to some envious glares from the older students once they found that magic came easily to him.

He mused to himself that it would probably become more aggravating for them once he entered their classes.

Thankfully interactions with them and the majority of the magical raised were minimal beyond helping those in his year and were respectful enough for the most part.

House Sayre was a famous house after all.

Despite the Blacks being the more influential house within the Isles, House Sayre held a respectful position in the magical world, especially in the Isles.

House Sayre's storied history and power the family held made crossing the family something you simply did not do.

The people who had killed his grandparents had been killed discreetly in accidents once they had been identified. It had brutally reminded him of the world he now inhabited.

The affections and kind disposition of the family was only reserved for those of the blood or long time friends. He liked this side of the family immensely.

The only reason why retributions weren't in greater scale was because his great grandfather didn't want Grindelwald's personal attention. It had calmed his father down when it had been done. For all of the power that the family had, great personal magical power was one that was lacking until Atticus himself grew up.

It made his interactions with people all the more curious.

At the beginning people did not dance around him per se but there was a hint of cautiousness in their interactions despite him being a first year. It was similar in the way people acted around the Blacks though far less obvious and with intent considering that there was an added apprehension with them all being Slytherins and of course their violence.

Pyrites, Rowle, Greengrass and Macmillan were exceptions in the interactions he had which was because they were all from families that were noble and in the case of the latter two at least Ancient houses and because they were in his house and year group.

With House Sayre's status with almost a certainty being the oldest house in the world, it garnered the family a status that was akin to near royalty.

If Draco Malfoy was given the same kind of treatment he had gotten as a child when he had attended a few of the functions his family attended, no wonder the little fucker was such a spoiled child and had a sense of self delusion of grandeur.

So far he had seen only the Blacks given the same kind of treatment he and his family were subjected to at functions. It wasn't difficult to understand what the perception of family standing was.

He had met members of House Nott at these functions, including Theodore Nott who Atticus believed may well be the Nott's grandfather from HP and they held nowhere near the same kind of standing the Blacks, Sayres or even Malfoys held.

It was surprising considering the age of their age.

The standing that they held was only reinforced with the removal of politics. It helped that House Sayre wasn't political for the last few centuries and more focused on business. House Sayre's shift from politics was very calculated.

The near extinction of the family in the 1600s had caused the subsequent generations of carefully walking the political landscape while at the same time increasing their ties to many families in the Isles.

While his father sat at the Wizengamot, taking over the duties of his deceased grandfather, it was mostly to ensure that there weren't any surprises that could harm the family rather than overt politicking and his voting aligned as such. It was the reason why the McDowell seat was left vacant despite his father qualified to take the seat.

The ties the family held ensured that the disappearance of the family in the Isles would be economical ruinous was one of the first things that the family had managed to do with full cooperation with the Goblins.

Many debts that were with House Sayre were on a minimal repayment plan, if it there is even at all repayment plans. Should House Sayre meet an ignoble end, the debts would be called at rates depending on the offences that were committed against the family.

It gave House Sayre an added layer of protection in addition to their actual capabilities. It was left unsaid but it was known that House Sayre is a powerful house magically...which Atticus was promptly showing.

With the way they were treated, Atticus did not find it hard to believe how Emily Riddle would be treated once she came out that and proclaimed that she's the heir of Slytherin.

House Slytherin held a special position in the hearts of a large percentage of the neutral faction and almost all of the dark faction. Salazar Slytherin was revered by those circles as he was their pureblood champion. It made her counterpart's job of recruiting for his cause all the more easier. It helped that the absence of the Gaunts for almost a century had dulled the memory of pureblood houses.