Harry Potter: House Magus

The whistle of the Hogwarts Express cut through the crisp summer air, a long, echoing note that seemed to hang over the platform. Steam curled upward, wrapping the students in fleeting white mist as they darted between trunks and waving parents. The chatter of hundreds of voices rose and fell like the tide, punctuated by the hoots of owls and the shrill calls of conductors urging everyone aboard.

Before Richard began speaking with anyone, as the train swayed gently and the countryside blurred beyond the windows, he found himself staring out at the passing fields, lost in thought. The rhythmic clatter of wheels against tracks became a backdrop to his quiet recollection of the year's progress.

He thought of Transfiguration first; he had completed the second year's syllabus. Charms followed; he had also completed the second year's syllabus while also learning useful spells from years ahead, such as Protego. In Potions, his brews had grown increasingly precise. Again, he had completed the second year's syllabus, but he was also halfway through the third year's one due to his increasing effort to impress Slughorn. Defence Against the Dark Arts was also completed to the second-year syllabus. Astronomy was completed to the third-year syllabus because most of it involved memorising things, and Herbology was also a subject based on a lot of information and was tied to Potions, so Richard also dedicated his time to it and completed it to the third-year level. Even flying, Richard had made massive progress enough that older students were looking forward to the coming Quidditch seasons.

And then there was his companion, the most unique achievement of all.

He remembered the night he had given her names. The common room had been empty, the lake casting rippling shadows through the windows. She had perched on the back of his chair, both heads watching him in eerie silence. For weeks, she had grown in strength and intelligence, her understanding of his commands uncanny. When her voices came, two distinct tones in the same breath, it felt like a secret whispered only to him.

"Father!" two voices echoed simultaneously.

Richard had been surprised so much that he immediately equipped his wand. His eyes scanned the room, eagerly trying to find the source of the voices.

"Reveal yourself, now," Richard commanded.

"Father here!" A small child's voice called out in reply.

Richard's eyes drifted towards the voice before they settled on his winged companion.

"You can finally talk?" Richard asked.

"Yes," the left head said, before the right finished it.

"We can."

"Good, I'm glad I can finally hear your voice."

"It seems to me to be the best time to name you then," Richard had said calmly, meeting both sets of violet eyes.

The left head tilted, graceful and silent, as if considering. The right head clicked her beak impatiently.

"What do you think?" Richard asked.

"I want something fierce, something dangerous, something deadly. Please, Father." The head on the right said impatiently.

"Yes, I think it's time. I want something regal." The head of the left voiced out after some thought.

"Well, you can only have one," Richard said with a small smile.

"No, Father, she is she and I am me." The head on the right said in protest.

"Oh, you have two different brains and thoughts?" Richard asked.

"Yes, Father, we are different from each other." The head on the left replied.

"Okay, the more the merrier, I guess, for you," he said to the left, "Coeus, named after the Greek Titan of intellect and inquisitive minds, although he was depicted as a man, I think you can claim it while making it your own."

Coeus blinked slowly, "Thank you for the name, Father."

"And for you," he said to the right, "Hera, after the Greek goddess of marriage, women, family, and childbirth, also known for her vengeful spirit, which seems to fit perfectly."

Hera let out a satisfied croak, almost like laughter.

Since that night, they had grown closer, their personalities distinct yet harmonious. Coeus observed and advised with calm intelligence; Hera mocked and challenged, her sharp remarks often carrying uncomfortable truths. Together, they were more than a familiar; they were extensions of his own thoughts, his confidantes in a world where trust was rare.

Now, as the train carried him away from Hogwarts, both heads watched the landscape with him. Coeus's voice was soft, almost a whisper. "You've done much."

Hera chuckled low, her tone cutting but amused. "And much more to do."

Richard's lips curved into the faintest of smiles. He made sure not to talk to them with people around, as he had already received complaints from his friends who had overheard it. Although they didn't know it was him, they did complain that his companion sounded like it was in a constant fight.

Richard sat with his Slytherin housemates, his trunk stacked neatly at his side. Coeus and Hera perched on his shoulder like living shadows, their violet eyes glinting. The two-headed companion drew more than a few curious stares and whispers, but Richard ignored them; he had already heard enough from his dormmates about how they hadn't seen anything like it before. That was the main reason he left her inside his dorm most of the year; only a week before the end of school did he start leaving with her.

The group had boarded together, moving with practised ease through the narrow corridor until they claimed a carriage midway down the train. The door slid shut behind them, muffling the noise outside. The compartment was theirs alone, the green and silver of their ties catching the last light as the train hissed and lurched forward.

Colin was the first to break the companionable silence, leaning back with a grin.

"So… summer. My Mum's gonna show me some curses she worked on. What's everyone else doing?"

Arjun stretched, his posture loose and confident. "Going to India to visit my grandfather. He's promised to show me spell scrolls he's kept locked away for decades. They're not in any book you'll find here." His eyes gleamed at the thought.

Malcolm tore open a chocolate frog wrapper and smirked, crumbs already gathering on his lap. "I'll be stuck in the shop helping Dad. Boring, but at least I'll have access to ingredients customers never see. If I blow something up, at least it's at home."

Elliot gave a slight shrug, his tone soft but certain. "Staying home. Lots of reading, need to study up, Mum was not happy with my exam results."

Richard listened in silence, his gaze drifting from one to the next. When they looked to him, waiting, he simply said, "I'll probably read up on the syllabus some more. We should all keep in contact through owls, maybe meet up in Diagon Alley at some point."

Colin grinned, clapping his hands together. "Owls every week, then."

As the train rolled forward, the rhythmic clatter of wheels filled the narrow corridor. Richard excused himself from his friends' compartment with a quiet word, sliding the door shut behind him and ready to move through the train to say goodbye to his other acquaintances. The air in the hallway was thick with steam and the sound of laughter. Students leaned out the windows, waving at the shrinking platform, while others exchanged Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans like trading cards.

Richard moved through it all with practised ease, slipping between clusters of students, his presence neither loud nor unnoticed.

In another carriage, Lisa was laughing with a group of friends, the sound bright and easy. When she spotted Richard, she excused herself from the conversation, meeting him at the door.

"I thought you'd stay hidden with your Slytherins," she teased.

"I don't hide," Richard replied, his tone smooth. "What will you do this summer?"

Lisa's eyes lit up. "I'm going to France. My cousin is teaching me some more advanced charmwork, nothing too dangerous; she's clever."

"You'll be cleverer," Richard said, and the certainty in his tone made her cheeks flush slightly.

"You say that like it's a fact," she said with a soft laugh.

"It is." He gave a slight nod, and her smile lingered as he moved on.

"Well, I'm going to go say goodbye to some more friends. We should stay in contact. I'll send you a letter." Richard said.

"Okay, I'll look forward to it," Lisa replied. 

Richard moved past, making his way down the carriages.

His feet brought him to a carriage near the front, where Martin sat alone. The Hufflepuff boy was half-hidden behind a book, his posture tense, as though hoping no one would ask him to move. When Richard slid the door open, Martin jumped, the book nearly slipping from his hands.

"R-Richard," Martin stammered, quickly straightening.

"Martin." Richard took the seat across from him, his movements deliberate, unhurried. "I came to say goodbye."

Martin blinked at the question, his cheeks flushing. "Thank you."

Richard's gaze remained steady. "Got any plans for the summer?" He said.

"Yeah, I'm spending time at my grandparents they have a farm, so we're going to spend most of our time there." Martin's smile grew, his nervousness easing as he talked about his family.

Richard stood, offering a faint nod. "Well, I hope you have a nice time. I'll send you a letter. We should meet up at some time."

The simple words landed with the weight of something far greater. Martin's eyes shone, and as Richard stepped back into the corridor, he could still feel the boy's gaze following him.

As Richard made his way toward the next carriage, he nearly collided with Clara, who was leaning casually in the corridor with her Gryffindor friends. She straightened when she saw him, a grin curving her lips.

"Richard," she said with her usual confidence. "Come to say goodbye?"

"Clara," he replied, nodding. "You heading home?"

Clara rolled her shoulders. "Not home. My father's taking me to Germany for part of the summer, some big conference on magical history. Boring to most, but I find it interesting."

"Magical history is significant, I hope you have a nice time," Richard said, his voice calm yet approving.

She smirked. "You always have the nicest things to say, don't you? You'll have to write to me this summer."

"I will," he said simply. "Only if you write back."

"Deal." Her grin softened into something more genuine as he moved past, and she gave a small wave.

A few compartments later, he found Lena seated cross-legged on a bench, sketching diagrams of charms in a worn notebook. She looked up, startled, then gave him a shy smile.

"I wasn't expecting you," she admitted.

"I'm just making the rounds, checking up on all my friends," Richard said evenly, taking a moment to glance at her sketches. "You're still working?"

Lena nodded quickly. "I'm staying with my grandmother this summer. She's strict, but she knows a lot of charms. I want to master every single one before next year."

"You will," he said, scanning her notes. "Your attention to detail is better than most. Just make sure you don't confuse thoroughness with hesitation."

She bit her lip, nodding. "I'll remember that."

"Good." Richard stepped back toward the door. "Write if you come across something unusual."

Her smile widened slightly, proud. "I will."

Further down the train, Richard spotted Poppy Pomfrey seated with two other Ravenclaws. The compartment was filled with soft chatter and the rustle of sweet wrappers, but the moment she noticed him at the door, her face brightened.

"Richard," Poppy said, her voice warm, carrying that unmistakable trace of admiration she never tried to hide.

"Poppy," Richard replied, inclining his head slightly as he slid the door open. The two Ravenclaws with her exchanged curious glances, but neither interrupted as he stepped inside.

"You're making the rounds?" she asked, half-teasing, half genuinely curious.

"Something like that," Richard said with the faintest hint of a smile. "Checking in."

Poppy shifted slightly, making room for him to sit. "It's been a good year. Hard, but… good."

"You stood out," Richard said simply, his gaze meeting hers. "Your work in Charms improved more than most. I heard a lot about your work. Got any plans this summer?"

Her cheeks colored at the compliment, though she tried to play it off. "I'm… planning to study healing magic this summer. My aunt's letting me help at a small clinic in the countryside."

He nodded approvingly. "You'll make an excellent Healer someday."

Poppy froze at the words, her lips parting slightly as if she wasn't sure how to respond. Finally, she laughed softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "You really think so?"

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't." His tone carried no exaggeration, no empty praise, only certainty.

Her flush deepened, but her smile lingered, warm and genuine. "And you? What are you doing this summer?"

Richard's expression remained calm, almost unreadable. "Learning as usual."

"That sounds… like you," she said with a small laugh, shaking her head.

He stood then, giving her a final nod. "Keep at it, Pomfrey. The world needs Healers more than ever."

The other Ravenclaws watched him with quiet curiosity as he left. Poppy's eyes followed him until the door clicked shut, her smile still there, softer now, as though she were holding onto his words.

As he made his way through, he came across Thomas, who was leaning against the wall outside his carriage, arms crossed as if he'd been waiting for someone to talk to.

"Magus," Thomas said with a raised brow. "Surprised you came this way."

"Why?" Richard asked mildly.

Thomas smirked. "Because you always look like you have better places to be."

Richard allowed the faintest ghost of a smile. "I make time for what matters. How was your year?"

Thomas shrugged, though his expression softened. "Better than I expected. Learned a lot. Not just spells."

"You've grown," Richard said simply. "Don't lose it over the summer."

Thomas's smirk turned more genuine. "I'll try not to. And you? What are your big plans for the summer?"

Richard's eyes gleamed faintly. "Nothing really, just learning."

As he continued down the train, each encounter left threads of connection behind, conversations brief but deliberate. Every word spoken was another piece in the web he wove, stretching beyond the walls of Hogwarts.

In the next carriage, Richard found Caroline Davis seated by the window, her legs curled slightly under her as she read a worn spellbook. The sunlight poured through the glass, catching in her dark hair and making the pages glow faintly. She looked up as he slid the door open, and the tension in her shoulders melted into something softer.

"I thought you'd left without saying goodbye," she said quietly, closing her book with a finger marking her place.

"Not my style," Richard replied, stepping inside and sitting beside her without hesitation. The hum of the train filled the silence between them for a moment, a comfort rather than an awkwardness.

"You're making your rounds?" she asked, a small smile touching her lips.

"Checking on a few people," he said simply. "You're not an exception."

Caroline let out a short laugh, almost disbelieving. "I still feel like I'm catching up. Like everyone else was born with a head start."

"You're not behind," Richard said firmly, his eyes on hers. "You're moving faster than most. You're not afraid to stand your ground anymore. That's what matters."

She glanced down at her book, her fingers brushing over the spine. "I'm going to practice this summer. Every day. Somewhere private. I don't care if my family thinks it's strange, I can't lose what I've gained here."

"You won't," he said, his voice steady. "You'll be better than most of them soon. Just don't use your magic, your wand has the Trace on it, just practice the wand movements."

Caroline's smile returned, but this time it was different, stronger, more certain. "I already know that. I should be the one saying that to you."

Richard didn't deny it. Instead, he said, "You've got so much potential, Caorline. I believe in you."

She turned to the window, her reflection faint in the glass, though her smile lingered. "Will you keep in contact?"

"I will," he said without hesitation. "Stay sharp, Davis."

Her hand tightened slightly around the book, as if holding onto his words. "You too, Magus."

When Richard finally stood to leave, she watched him go, her eyes following him until he disappeared into the corridor. The faintest trace of pride lingered in her expression, as though she believed she could be someone in this world, and that belief had started with him.

================================================================

Hey, dear reader! If you enjoyed this chapter, please consider dropping a power stone to show your support; it helps keep the story going strong! Also, I'd love to hear your thoughts, so leave a comment or write a review.