Teen Wolf at Hogwarts

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***

- Just a reminder, you are not allowed to leave the agreed place. Mr Hale will remain in charge of the work. Disobedience to him will be punished,' Snape had been reminding the boys for the past twenty minutes of the list of things they either shouldn't do or absolutely must not do.

Lydia and Stiles, feeling really uncomfortable under that stare, just nodded, pressing their lips together. Their situation was further complicated by the fact that they had to constantly pull up their robes to hide the Muggle clothes underneath from the potionist's hawkish gaze. Thankfully, Snape paid no attention to the trainers. So far, they could count themselves lucky.

- If I find out, Mr Stilinski, that you've done anything wrong, I'll fine Gryffindor thirty points minimum,' the man added.

- As you command, sir,' the boy growled through gritted teeth as he strode out onto the paving stones following the professor.

Will, weaving silently behind them all, cast thoughtful glances at the Gryffindors. All he could say last night was:

- You're in trouble after all.

However, both Lydia and Stiles seemed to realise the extent of his gratitude in his eyes. He hoped so, at any rate. Martin, as if sensing the look, turned around, lifting the corners of her lips. The Slytherin smiled back at her, and walked over to the boys, wrapping up his robes as well - he was forgiven for wearing Muggle clothes, but it could still antagonise Snape, and they didn't want that right now.

- I feel like my insides have been twisted, wrung out, dried, and put back in their proper places,' Stiles complained, 'No, not even back.

Will snorted and looked up at the sky. It was about six o'clock in the morning-the boy could vividly imagine what it had been like for Lydia to have to lift a groaning Stiles out of bed, as he'd experienced it himself-and there wasn't a cloud in the sky, but it looked like it was going to be a clear day. This was both a relief and a worry, for if they had to run or hide from anyone, the famous London rain would certainly be able to hide them. But still, walking through a cemetery flooded with water would not be pleasant. The last thought made Will shudder. He had been trying so hard to distract himself with something else that he had almost forgotten the purpose of their visit to London.

Miriam's grave.

Sighing convulsively, the boy shoved his hands into the pockets of his grey sweatshirt, feeling unnaturally hot nonetheless. At least there would be a real reason to crash in the hospital wing when they got back.

- When transgressing, you must hold on very tightly to the transgressor directly,' Snape reminded him for what seemed like the tenth time, 'If either of you unclasp your hands, you can either be thrown into China or split. I'd prefer the latter.

- What's wrong with China,' Stiles frowned, ignoring Lydia's rolling eyes.

- Because you, Mr Stilinski, are my main candidate for such a thing. And I'm sure the great Chinese wizards will not return you to London. So I would choose cleavage if I were you,' Snape answered him, stopping outside the Hogwarts gates and silently putting his hand out in front of his face, closer, naturally, to the Hales.

Cora, stepping awkwardly from foot to foot, stepped back slightly, giving Will a seat. Lydia and Stiles looked over at each other and smiled faintly. They hadn't told Will the younger Hale's secret, thinking it would be too much. It was also reasonable to expect that someone like Cora wouldn't keep quiet for long.

- Mr Stilinski, time is running out. You're already here by some miracle, and I wouldn't advise you to try my patience,' Snape reminded himself. In truth, neither Stiles, Lydia, Will, nor even Cora knew how Derek had persuaded Snape. It certainly had to be a task that wasn't very easy. And Stiles had to admit that Derek's bloodline to some of the Hales - Cora, for instance - wasn't so terrible.

- I'm here, I'm here,' the Gryffindor muttered, grasping the professor's hand with obvious reluctance.

Lydia, on the other hand, just silently did as she was told. Her thoughts swirled around Allison and Stiles. In the morning, when they should have been on their way out of the living room, Argent, who had gotten up to see her friends off, stopped them, throwing concerned glances from her friend to her fellow student.

- I feel like this isn't going to go the way we expect,' Allison frowned.

- We don't even know what we're counting on, anything can go wrong,' Stiles nodded, yawning.

- That's what I mean,' Argent agreed, 'I have a feeling you're going to find out a lot more than we wanted to at first.

- I have that feeling too,' Lydia nodded.

- Okay, well, just take care of yourself, okay? - Allison lifted the corners of her lips, hugging her friend.

- Don't worry, I'll take care of her,' Stiles yawned again.

- I'm sure you will,' Argent smirked, walking away the next moment.

Martin even managed to forget about the dialogue, but Stiles suddenly pulled her aside when the six of them were already out in the yard.

- Look, I've been thinking about Allison's words, and I feel the same way,' Stiles sighed, 'I feel like something's wrong. I mean, I feel like we're gonna make a difference, help someone. And it doesn't have to be Will. I feel like little Will was trying to be saved. You know, not to kill him, but to save him.

- By who? - Martin raised her eyebrows.

- His parents,' Stiles answered as quietly as he could and, after a moment's thought, turned and walked towards the already irritated Snape.

Stiles's guess was unrealistic and could have been ignored, but Lydia felt the same way. Thinking about it, the girl didn't even notice how she found herself in Diagon Ally. Familiar shops, now almost empty. The recently risen sun was illuminating the street, making it even more magical and attractive. Rare passers-by yawned and looked around sleepily, nodding respectfully to Snape.

- Mr Hale, can I leave you in charge of everything else? - Snape asked, stopping at a narrow alleyway with crumbling steps and grim signs of equally grim shops.

- Of course, sir,' the fifth year nodded.

- I remind you, Mr Stilinski, disobedience is punishable,' Snape said, and with a wave of his robes, he walked down the alley, almost blending into the darkness.

- You have to come with us to the place anyway,' Cora reminded him in a low voice.

- Naturally,' Will snorted contemptuously, as if to say she didn't need to, and the next moment he was following Derek's lead. The girl pressed her lips together and looked at Lydia with a slightly confused look. In the next instant, as if she had come to her senses, the younger Hale straightened up and, with her head held high, walked forward.

- How did we get into this in the first place? - Lydia sighed.

It took them about three minutes to get to Carter's shop, stopping only once when Stiles's foot hit the kerb and he fell, cursing softly. Will and Lydia covered their eyes with their hands and tried to walk past as inconspicuously as possible, but Cora turned round and made them go back after the floundering Gryffindor.

Contrary to the boys' expectations, Carter turned out to be the complete opposite of Snape. Smiling and sociable, he escorted the five students to the room where the ingredients were probably located.

- As far as I know, you can manage on your own,' the man continued after a nod of approval, 'I have the day off today, so I'll leave you alone. Professor Snape has assured me that nothing is going to happen. I hope he wasn't wrong, for I'd hate to go back to a burnt-out shop. If you need help, there are ways to contact me or my daughter Clarissa on my desk. We'll try to make an appearance if we can. If all is well, I won't be back for another three hours, so try not to trash the place until then, okay? - The man smiled, throwing his cloak over his shoulders.

- Yes, sir,' Derek nodded respectfully.

- Good,' the man clapped his hands together, and, after ruffling Stiles's hair, left.

- What was that about? - The Gryffindor grumbled, smoothing his hair.

- You always have a crow's nest on your head, you can't complain,' Derek shrugged, walking over to the shelf of ingredients.

- It's a slight unkemptness,' Stiles said indignantly.

- Not so slight,' Hale snorted, pulling out the heaviest box.

- Cora,' Lydia called out, ignoring the ongoing squabble, 'Can we go now, or do you still need our help? - The girl asked when the Slytherin came close enough to her.

- You heard me, you only have three hours,' Hale shook her head, 'If you want things to go well and you don't want to have to be carried back like mad, go now. Better yet, come back as early as you can.

- Thank you,' Martin smiled gratefully. Cora said nothing and nodded, turning to her brother.

- You're the only one who can wake up with your hair done, your clothes ironed and in a good mood. You're in a good mood when you don't kill, but paralyse,' Stiles grumbled.

- We'll try to get back as soon as possible,' Will tossed to Cora, stepping purposefully around her to stand next to Lydia.

- I hope so,' the girl nodded, pressing her lips together again.

- Stiles, let's go,' Lydia called out to her friend who was bouncing around Derek, rolling her eyes.

- You're lucky,' Stiles snorted, looking straight into the Slytherin's eyes for a few seconds, but then, as soon as the boy took a step in his direction, the Gryffindor was at the door in no time at all

- If you're late and Carter gets back in time, I'm not going to cover for you,' Derek informed them, stopping beside his sister.

- Derek,' Cora frowned, 'We promised.

- You're the one who promised,' the Slytherin snorted, 'Seriously, if any of them come back, I'll turn you in. And I don't care what happens to you guys from here on out.

- Come on, we don't need to waste our time with them,' the boy said, turning his back to the Slytherins and walking outside. Glancing at Cora, Lydia could only lift the corners of her lips, the next moment finding herself in the alleyway as well.

- I honestly have no idea where this house might be,' Stiles informed his friends as they entered The Leaky Cauldron. Tom, the pub landlord, didn't even give them a glance, circling one of the customers.

- I have a rough idea,' Lydia nodded, 'We'll get to Hampstead Heath first, and then we'll get our bearings.

- Yeah, what are we going to use to get to Hampstead Heath? - Stiles asked, shoving his robe into his bag and staying in his Muggle clothes.

- Taxis aren't an option,' Will shrugged, 'So the tube. Keep up with me, because I'm much better at navigating Muggle London than you are,' the Slytherin reminded, throwing off his own robe.

- You brought your Muggle money with you, I hope,' Lydia raised her eyebrows as she stepped outside.

- Naturally,' Stiles rolled his eyes, 'You talk as if you don't trust us.

- I do trust Will, Stiles,' Martin rolled her eyes, heading towards the subway with the big "S" above it.

- I don't understand something right now,' the boy frowned at Will's snickering.

- We have a transfer, so we're going to have to waste quite a bit of time,' the Slytherin said as he neared the redhead.

- I thought we'd have to go halfway across London,' Martin nodded, sighing.

- More than that,' Will smiled, looking at the Gryffindor.

- But that just means we have to find the house as soon as possible,' Stilinski reminded them.

- Yes, Stiles, thanks for the reminder,' Martin rolled her eyes.

- Will took the Gryffindors to the wall and walked towards the nearest terminal, which, by the way, was already packed with sleepy Londoners.

- It feels like we're living a normal life,' Lydia sighed, running her fingertips along a nearby advertising banner.

- We are,' Stiles shrugged, 'Just not Muggle normal.

- None of our peers are running off to London right now to find the grave of the mother of someone who didn't know their parents before we came into their lives,' Martin reminded her friend.

- 'So it's a good thing we stand out from the grey mass of ordinary mages, we have adventures in our lives,' the boy shrugged again.

- Are you ever dissatisfied with anything? - Will, who had come up a moment ago, asked.

- Sometimes,' the Gryffindor nodded, taking his bus pass from his friend's hands.

- From Charing Cross Road station, we should go in this direction,' he said, tracing his finger along the coloured lines, 'Get off here, change here, and get off here again.

- Then we improvise,' Stiles grinned, twirling his blue card with the Oyster on the front.

- She's the one,' Will nodded, mingling with the crowd of people near the escalator.

In fact, both Lydia and Stiles had grown to hate the Slytherin's grey sweatshirt in a matter of minutes, which made them constantly lose sight of the boy. Will finally laughed and took Martin's hand, manoeuvring between the Londoners scurrying about. The girl wasn't dressed too brightly either, so there was also the possibility of losing her. But Stiles, dressed in a bright red plaid shirt, was visible from several metres away, so Will neglected to take such precautions against the boy.

The crush on the train made Lydia's eyes water. She'd heard it from her father when she was a child, but she'd never imagined that one narrow carriage could hold so many people. Will, on the other hand, felt distinctly freer, smiling when one of the passengers apologised for the awkwardness of having stepped on the boy's foot a few moments earlier or nearly knocked him to the floor. This was apparently the order of the day for him, and it wasn't surprising, really.

When Will turned back to make sure that neither Lydia nor Stiles were still in the carriage when he got off at the station, he couldn't help laughing at the dishevelled and flushed Gryffindors. And while Stilinski's appearance was the norm, the ever-tidy Martin's was not. Laughing again, Will only grabbed the girl's hand again and dragged her towards the station exit, hoping only that Stiles was following right behind them.

It was half past eight in the morning, and Will could only thank all the gods he knew that they hadn't been here an hour later. Their height was important now, for it was much easier to duck under the arms of passers-by when you were just over a metre and a half tall than when your head was practically touching the ceiling. As Will had expected, Lydia took the next train ride much more stoically, and never once gave a murderous glance to anyone who hurt her. Things were still bad with Stiles, though. The boy had made a huge mistake when he'd flown into the carriage and spotted an empty seat, and had taken it without even thinking about the consequences. And Will, unfortunately - though he didn't think so himself - hadn't had time to warn him about anything. So now Stiles, wedged between the handrail and a woman of no small size, could only cast pleading glances at Will and Lydia, squeaking pitifully as the door pressed against him from the side of the handrail.

When they were outside, they looked so happy that Stiles had to remember once again that they were Londoners themselves.

- Stiles, you live in a Muggle neighbourhood, why are you so surprised by all this? - Will asked, walking up the steps to the underground exit.

- I may live among the Muggles, but I don't use their modes of transport,' the Gryffindor muttered in reply, 'Scott and I either walk all the time or my father drives us.

- Well, you should definitely take Scott to this fascinating place this summer. I'm sure he'd love it,' Will grinned.

- Yeah, let him enjoy it without me, please,' Stiles groaned back, taking in the street air with relish, 'Freshness, I've missed you.

- With all the cars and stuff going by, I wouldn't call it freshness,' Will reminded him, stopping at an intersection.

- Are you sure we're not going the other way? - Lydia asked, looking around for a street sign.

- No, but I see a post office there, and that's where everyone knows everything,' Will shrugged.

- How are you going to ask that, I'm sorry? - Martin asked cautiously, leaning closer to the boy.

- I'll just ask if they know where the Brown family lived a few years ago. We'll pretend we're students at the nearest school and say we have an assignment. Journalism,' the boy said, tapping his foot with impatience.

- Whatever you say,' Martin nodded, looking back for Stiles. The boy was found very quickly, but only because of his shirt. He was standing about three metres away from the boys, leaning over some bollard with an expression of great interest. Martin raised her eyebrows and called out to him, but got no response, -Sorry, I'll be right back, -she threw to Will and went towards her friend, intending at least to reprimand him for the delay, at most - to give him a couple of good slaps, -What are you doing? - Martin hissed at him, coming as close as she could and folding her arms across her chest.

- Look,' Stiles beckoned her friend with a wave of his hand.

With an irritated snort, Lydia shifted her gaze to the bollard and frowned. It appeared to have a black and white advert taped to it, with something carelessly scribbled on it in small print. As Lydia looked closer, the paper began to change. First it went from plain to coloured, and then the text changed as well.

- Magical disguise,' Lydia nodded to herself as she began to read. At the end of the announcement, the girl's jaw literally dropped open. - She asked the smirking Stiles in a grey voice.

- We're having a hell of a lucky day, I guess,' the boy shrugged and beckoned a clearly annoyed Will over to him.

- Someone said something about not having much time,' Will reminded him, turning his eyes back to the notice. From the look on his face, it had changed its appearance for him too, but the Slytherin didn't seem to be used to it yet. 'It still feels weird,' Will explained, starting to read. At the end, his eyes widened almost Galleon-sized, just like Lydia's had a few minutes ago.

- Lucky, huh? - Stiles smiled even wider, patting the Slytherin on the back.

- Yeah, a little lucky,' Will nodded, swallowing hard. The realisation suddenly dawned on him that in a little while he would actually be at his real mother's grave. Glancing once more at the last line of the notice, the boy turned to face the two Gryffindors waiting for his reaction, 'Now we know the exact address, which makes me both happy and scared at the same time.

- It is indeed strange that the day of honour is today,' Lydia agreed, looking over the announcement again and again.

- But still, it is, and that's what helped us. Except it means there's going to be a lot of unnecessary people hanging around the house,' the Slytherin sighed.

- We'll manage,' Stiles clapped him on the shoulder.

The advert was specifically for Remembrance Day. The large block letters at the top of the advert said so, making the surname stand out amongst the other words. At the bottom of the page was the exact address for those who wished to pay tribute to the selfless Miriam Brown and her missing son William. Smiling unexpectedly even to himself, the Slytherin clapped Stiles back, barely holding back a nasty laugh.

- It also means it's time for us to visit our wonderful underground again, since this street is a few stations away. I miss it already,' the boy smirked.

Neither Will nor Lydia could contain their laughter as Stiles groaned doomedly and staggered toward the subway crossing with the S he already hated.

***

The swanky mansion was visible from the beginning of the street. Mages dressed in mourning robes were scurrying around it like insects. At the last moment, Lydia made the boys put on their own robes to blend in. A formidable-looking man stood at the wicket with his hands folded behind his back. He reacted to the three children with only a fleeting glance, apparently making sure they weren't Muggles who had wandered in by accident.

- Hagrid said we should go out through the courtyard,' Lydia whispered into Will's ear.

- We'll blend in first and then slip out of the courtyard crowd,' the boy answered her, slipping between two sobbing middle-aged ladies, "You'd think they'd be that upset," the boy snorted contemptuously.

- I wonder how they'd react if they knew who you were? - Stiles asked, flinching away from the old woman who had nearly grabbed him as a hugging doll.

- I don't know,' Will shrugged, "I think they'd all be hugging me, praising me and feeding me," he rolled his eyes, 'Stay close, by the way, or someone will hug you to death.

- There's a door leading to the courtyard,' Lydia said in a low voice, pointing in the right direction with a nod of her head, 'No one seems to be going in there, so we shouldn't have any problems in the courtyard.

- But we have to get there,' Will sighed, grabbing Stiles's arm as he was nearly knocked down by another granny in the weirdest hat he'd ever seen, 'It's all crazy people.

- Yeah, upset that you're missing,' Stiles took a breath, not taking a step away from his friend.

- I still don't understand why it's Memorial Day today,' Lydia frowned, 'It's eleven years ago, there are no significant dates. What's the matter?

- Maybe it's the day my father almost killed me,' Will shrugged, keeping his eyes on the door, 'Or maybe Miriam died exactly eleven years ago, and I'm missing.

- Maybe it's better to ask? It's very, very strange, really,' Lydia continued to look around worriedly.

- We'll attract attention,' Will shook his head, 'We'll just walk, quietly, without turning round, and no one will notice anything.

Will glanced at the Gryffindor, and after a faint nod from her, the boy moved towards the door, avoiding people and not bothering to worry about Stiles. Lydia took care of that, though, unknowingly grabbing her friend's arm as the howling man strode past.

With an abrupt movement, Will swung the door open and sprinted out into the courtyard, locking it moments later. Slowly looking round, he encountered two concerned looks from the Gryffindors who had stepped aside. What he saw next was a real surprise. Right in the middle of the courtyard, enclosed by a low iron fence, was a marble tombstone with something engraved on it that he couldn't see from his distance.

As if in a trance, Will moved forward, not even noticing that his robe had fallen off his shoulders. Without hesitation, the boy stepped over the fence, stopping two metres from the grave. For a few moments there was a void in his mind, miraculously keeping him from falling. But in the next instant the realisation of what was happening came over him and Will, unable to resist, took a step forward and fell to his knees, not taking his eyes off the cold marble.

He was looking at what appeared to be himself, sitting almost royally on the lap of a dark-haired girl with identical honey-coloured eyes. The same slightly upturned nose, the same radiant smile, even the shade of her hair. Miriam was very beautiful, there was no denying that. Happy, bright, beautiful.

- No one is capable of hurting a loved one, everything is always for the good,' the boy whispered the words engraved in the cold stone.

An emptiness formed in his chest again. Was she that gullible? She had been destroyed by the person closest to her and she still asked to write such a thing? In the magical world, they always asked about the words on a tombstone when something happened in a wizard's family. Had Miriam, after surviving an assassination attempt, still asked to write such a thing? Growling angrily, Will slammed his fist into the ground, squinting almost to the point of pain.

- Will? - Lydia called out cautiously, sitting on her knees by the fence.

- 'She thought loved ones didn't hurt,' the boy grinned bitterly, 'She thought loved ones were beautiful and loving and wonderful. She was so stupid,' the boy whispered, opening his eyes, "He killed her and she thought that loved ones don't hurt," Will suddenly shouted, turning to the sky, making Lydia wince, 'Why did she think that? - The Slytherin whispered again, squinting, 'How could she think that? The world is a terrible place. Those closest to her hurt the most, how could she have been so stupid?

Lydia couldn't get a word out. Helplessly looking back at Stiles, Martin sighed heavily. She could have reminded Will of the Wrights, who were in the same town and unsuspecting, but she couldn't mention them now. The Slytherin's hunched figure made her heart clench, and the sudden tear that rolled down his cheek made her dance, beating an unreal rhythm against his ribs, seemingly trying to break them all to hell.

- Why did she think that? - Will whispered again. Will looked at the photograph and couldn't hold back a second tear, knowing he had nothing to be ashamed of. He was here with the two people closest to him, who had already seen everything they could. The closest people hurt the most,' the boy smiled stupidly, feeling the tears flowing in steady streams. The thought of Stiles and Lydia as his closest people made the boy squeeze his eyes shut. After all, they had hurt too. They had told him everything, brought him here, and now he was sitting here sobbing,' Will grinned bitterly again, turning his gaze to the engraved inscription. Will reached out and touched the cold stone with his fingertips, suddenly feeling a sharp pain somewhere near his heart. There was a sudden rumble in his ears, as if thunder was rumbling right above them. The Slytherin was startled and fell backwards, clutching his hand to his chest.

- Will! - Lydia exclaimed, instantly finding herself next to the Slytherin who was sprawled on his back, 'Are you alright?

- What happened? - The brunet asked dazedly, sitting up on the ground.

- What are you talking about? - Martin asked quietly, looking at him worriedly from head to toe.

- Thunder. Didn't you hear that? - The boy frowned.

- 'I only heard you,' Martin shook her head. Will barely ignored the way her eyes glittered suspiciously. Turning away, the Slytherin sat down on his knees again, facing the tombstone.

- Something definitely happened,' Will shook his head, trying to find something in the stone, 'It's magic, I know. It has to be. Something happened when I touched it,' the boy mumbled, putting his palm on everything he could reach. He ran his fingers over the inscription a few times, a few times over the photograph, but there was no reaction, 'But that's impossible. Something happened, I heard it.

Silently approaching his friends from behind, Stiles frowned, looking around at the scene before him. Will's actions had caused some thought to flash through his mind that he couldn't quite grasp onto now. There was something very, very similar, but the boy couldn't remember what it was. It was as if he had heard it in passing, without thinking about it, without paying attention, distracted.

- Jesus,' Stiles whispered, almost stumbling from shock, 'Will, what did you say before you touched the stone? - The boy turned to his friend in a grey voice.

- I was saying that she shouldn't have believed it,' the Slytherin replied without turning round, still touching the stone from all sides.

- No, your very last sentence,' Stiles shook his head, unable to stand and stepped over the fence, sitting down on the ground beside the redhead, looking at him so perplexed that it seemed as if she didn't know who she was or how she'd got here at all.

- What's that got to do with it? - Will exclaimed irritably, turning round, 'What does it matter what I said? I just felt something and you didn't, isn't that a sign?

- I want your last sentence,' Stiles insisted. Lydia, suddenly exhaling sharply, looked at him now with eyes full of understanding and, it seemed, admiration.

- Will, name a phrase you have said. The very last one,' the girl asked in a husky voice, looking up at the Slytherin.

- I don't know what I said,' Will sighed.

- Remember, I beg you,' Stiles stretched out, crawling a little closer to his friend, 'You said Miriam was right. The close ones hurt. Then you stopped talking for a while and said something else. What did you say?

Thinking, Will tried to recall all the thoughts that had crossed his mind in the last few minutes. He thought about his father, his mother, and his loved ones. About Lydia and Stiles, about the fact that they were capable of inflicting pain too, and that they had actually inflicted it. Even if it was for good, they'd done it.

- I said,' Will couldn't finish, swallowing hard, but after a moment he continued, "Mom, you were right, loved ones do hurt for good," Will repeated his words.

Will looked at the widened eyes of the Gryffindors and couldn't help but turn around, expecting to see what had surprised his friends. And he found the reason for their amazement rather quickly. The inscription began to glow with a soft light, almost imperceptible if you didn't look closely, but still bright enough to find if you really looked. Giving in to the sudden obsession a second time, Will reached forward again with his left hand and touched the word 'loved ones' with his fingertips. The thunder, the pain in his heart, it all happened again, only now the boy didn't pull his hand away.

- Will, open your eyes,' came Martin's faint voice from somewhere behind him.

The Slytherin was surprised at first - had he ever closed them? Nevertheless, when he opened his eyes, the brunet couldn't help but let out an amazed sigh, accompanied by the same sigh from his friends standing behind him. The tombstone, formerly rounded, now opened as it would in a narrow casket. The top of the stone simply tilted back, allowing him to see what was inside. Without hesitation, Will reached forward and pulled out a scroll tied with an azure ribbon. Judging by the condition of the parchment, it was at least ten years old, which made his heart beat faster.

He could literally feel Lydia's breathing interrupted on a physical level for a few moments, but he couldn't even bring himself to turn around. Tearing off the ribbon, the Slytherin unrolled the scroll, fleetingly enjoying the crunch of the yellowed paper.

- My dear Will,' the boy began, but his voice, breaking on the second word, failed him, making him only wheeze. Coughing and catching his breath, Will tried to continue reading, 'I knew you would find this scroll sooner or later. I have no idea how old you are now, but I'm proud anyway. You may be in your early twenties, or maybe in your seventies, but it doesn't matter in the slightest. If you're under twenty, I'm doubly proud of you,' Will felt the hot tears roll down his cheeks again, and an inappropriate smile came to his lips that he didn't have the strength to remove, 'I'm sorry your life turned out this way. You're probably happy now, though. The first thing I'd like to say is that I love you very much and I'm proud of you. You've always been everything to me, William, remember that,' the Slytherin clenched his eyes shut, feeling the lump in his throat prevent him from making a sound. That's why he didn't even resist when he felt the girl's soft hands taking the parchment from him with their usual tenderness, rustling it with barely audible rustle.

- I dread to imagine what you have heard about me and your father. I'm well aware that what follows will at first seem like complete nonsense and hurt you, but please read to the end,' Lydia began to read in a surprisingly firm voice, 'Will, the assassination attempt, my murder, your disappearance-it's all lies. Firstly, you must know that Richard has loved you madly all your life, and I'm sure he still does. I don't think I can tell you everything in detail, but I'll try to give you as much as I can. The night of the assassination attempt, your father was threatened by someone in the Ministry. All I know is that he called them Death Eaters, but that's too obscure a group of people for you to have heard of. Your father was threatened with reprisals against him and against us. That's why the assassination attempt was staged. Your father sacrificed himself to keep you and me safe, but what he didn't realise was that I wasn't supposed to know. I'm in the hospital now, and you're a few rooms away, but I know I'll never see you again. I'm sorry that you will never remember me, hear my voice, or get your first broom for Christmas. I know perfectly well, already this morning I am due to be visited, so you will be given to a muggle family with the surname Wright. Now you call these people your mum and dad, and I'm really glad it worked. Will, please don't blame your father for anything, he tried to save us, but he wasn't given the chance to help us both. I would write you more, but I know full well that I'm running out of time. I'm sorry if this hurts you, but you should know. In a few hours, a friend of our family will take this letter and place it in your father's pre-enchanted tombstone. Again, I remind you, I'm very proud of you since you were able to find it, I'm sure it wasn't easy. Will, honey, just know that your family always loved you. Just know and remember. Your father would never hurt you ever, he sacrificed himself both a few days ago and yesterday in court. He apologised to you there, kiddo, although it certainly wasn't covered on the news. Honey, I really don't have much time left, though there are many more things I'd like to tell you about. Just know that your first word was 'Light' and you said it when you accidentally dropped your beloved bear named Al. You hated the neighbour's cat, but you always adored our own dog, Benny. It was mutual. Will, I also want to say that there's always kindness. And light and magic and all things beautiful. Absolutely always and in everything. If you look closely, you'll see it. You've always been able to do that. Baby, you're the most beautiful child in the world, I love you very much and I'm proud of you. Your mum.

By the end Lydia was almost choking with tears, but she stoically continued reading, not allowing herself even the slightest pause. Will, his fists on the ground, was sobbing openly, his whole body shaking. Stiles sank to the ground beside him and clutched his shoulder, suddenly the only person holding back the tears.

- We had a dog,' Will sobbed convulsively, 'And I had a bear cub named Al.

- Your first word was Light,' Lydia smiled weakly, wiping away her tears.

- My father loved me,' the Slytherin added a little more quietly, squinting to the coloured circles in front of her eyes.

There was a ringing silence for a few moments. Neither Lydia nor Will noticed when Stiles stood up and pulled out another paper and some string with something shiny dangling from it. As the Gryffindor took a closer look at the new piece of parchment, he realised that he was holding William Brown's real birth certificate. Hanging from the string, however, was something that looked like an image of one of the hieroglyphics that Stiles was unfortunately mercilessly pathetic at. And it was the first time in the boy's life that he regretted his refusal to take extra classes.

- What's that? - came from downstairs, and Stiles flinched in surprise, glancing up to see Will looking back at him. Surprisingly, even now the Slytherin had retained his gracefulness.

Without a moment's thought, Stiles held out the items he himself had just retrieved to his friend. Will responded to the evidence with a quiet sob, Lydia with a new batch of tears. Stiles knelt down in front of her and hugged her, feeling her shirt getting wet around the shoulder where the Gryffindor's cheek was pressed against. When Will looked up from the rope, a faint but sincere smile spread across his face.

- Will you translate? - Stiles asked quietly, running a hand through his red hair.

- Light,' Will smiled even wider, running his thumb over the shiny surface of the hieroglyph. Taking turns, the boys smiled at each other, not moving from their seats for at least a few more minutes.

***

Getting out of the house was even harder than getting in. The number of old ladies eager to get their hands on Stiles had doubled, so that Lydia, trying to cover her red eyes with her hand, had to walk right up to him. Will, trailing behind, paid no attention to the gazes fixed on them, only occasionally throwing an icy glance at someone who was too annoying.

It was about half-past ten, so the underground was less crowded, and there were plenty of empty seats, though Stiles never ventured into any of them again. It took the boys no more than forty minutes to get to Charing Cross Road, though the previous time it had taken them a little over an hour. The Leaky Cauldron, which was already full of customers, greeted the friends with the smell of liquor, coffee and mould. Breathing in the native amber, the boys walked confidently onwards, towards Diagon Ally.

The main magical street of the city was packed with wizards. The variety of robes was mottling, striking the eyes, making the guys remember their own magical attire. Back at the Hales', the friends listened in advance, lest, Merlin forbid, they should fall into the clutches of an angry Carter or, come to think of it, Snape. However, no matter how hard they tried, they heard nothing but Derek's muttering.

- You're lucky they haven't come back yet,' Hale greeted the undergrads with those exact words, throwing a rag and some kind of vial at Stiles, which he miraculously didn't drop, 'I'm tired, Stilinski, wipe this down, then fill this up and put it over there.

Lydia, Stiles and Will looked over at each other and couldn't contain their smiles as they got to work - they had sort of come to London as assistants.

***

- What are you going to do now? - Lydia asked Will in the evening, when the boys were already back at the castle.

- I think we can give the headmaster a letter from his mother and a certificate to prove his father's innocence,' Will shrugged, 'I hope it goes well. He's still in Azkaban, isn't he?

The glimmer of hope in his friend's eyes made the Gryffindor tighten her lips and wonder if she should tell the truth. The inscription from Miriam's tombstone came to mind, and Lydia, sighing heavily, decided she should.

- He died a few years ago in his cell,' the redhead shook her head, hiding a guilty look. Will raised his eyebrows in surprise and lifted her head, holding her chin.

- You what? - He grinned, looking as affectionate as he could after recent events, 'You helped me. Unreal help. I'll owe you forever, so don't even think about looking at me so guiltily.

- You don't owe us anything,' Stiles snorted, coming up behind him and clapping the Slytherin on the shoulder, 'We're friends, so we're obligated to help each other. No strings attached.

- Okay, whatever,' Will smiled, 'I'm sorry he died. I wish I could have talked to him. And I'm sorry I thought that about him. He was a good man.

Smiling, Lydia ruffled both boys' hair, giggling when they squirmed unhappily. Hugging, they separated, promising each other to meet up after breakfast to discuss how Will's conversation with Dumbledore had gone. When they were only a few metres away from the Gryffindor common room, Lydia suddenly remembered something.

- Stiles,' she called out to her friend, 'How did you remember about the blood spells? You listened to the whole lesson.

- Some people don't have to listen to be bloody clever,' the Gryffindor smirked as he made his way into the living room.

- You don't have to listen to be bloody clever to be bloody clever, but to pass the exams coming up, I think some of us need to do some studying,' Martin mentioned casually, watching her friend's face contort into a grimace of pain with immense pleasure.

- Lyds, don't, I'll pass,' the boy moaned, seeming to beg.

- It's all right, Stilinski, a couple of weeks with me and your books won't hurt you. And Will will help us with the transfiguration you slept through last night. Good night,' Martin winked at her friend and ran up the stairs leading to the girls' bedroom. Stiles groaned and went to the boys' room, promising himself to never again display rash geniality.