Chapter 36: A New Roommate?

No matter how many years go by, the scene of parents welcoming their children at the train station never change. They haven't seen each other for months, so their excited state was normal. You could see children presenting others to their parents, and parents of different children getting to know each other. It was a heartwarming atmosphere.

Hermione was excitedly talking to her parents, praising how good of a friend Harry was, while the latter's cheeks were hued red. Hermione might not have noticed it, but her parents, along with Kaiser (from a distance) were giving her a knowing smile.

Kaiser was speaking with Arthur and Molly Weasley, introduced by the Weasley twins. His goal was not to make friends with them, that would hardly benefit him. He wanted to leave a positive impression on them, because it would be very useful for his plans.

Arthur and Molly were very nice and welcoming people, the kind you can easily make friends with as long as they had a good impression of you. And since Kaiser was friends with the Twins, saved their beloved daughter and even recently saved their son's ass, even though he was the one who got them in that position in the first place, they had a fairly good impression of him. He also spoke with Michael and Tracey's parents, who were big fans of his work.

"We meet again, Mr. Lunar." Amelia Bones, head of the Department of the magical law enforcement was also among the people he met. "The information you gave me was a huge help, and I've been wanting to thank you for a while now."

"It is merely my duty as a citizen of Magical Britain, nothing to thank me for." Kaiser answered. Amelia's perception of him changed the last year. It started with his Runic watches, who were exceedingly popular, then to his communication devices, though the latter were still under development. She needed someone like him on her side, mainly because he also represented the interests of the neutral faction, the richest faction in Magical Britain. And Amelia was smart enough to understand that money was power.

"I was also wishing to discuss a few things with you. We seem to have a common enemy." Amelia stated. Obviously, she 'knew' he was not the right person to speak to regarding such matter, but she still hinted at it, so that he could vouch for her with Mr. Greengrass, to make her talks with him smoother.

"I'm afraid you'll have to speak to Mr. Greengrass." Kaiser did not know why Amelia would say such a question. She didn't think so highly of him to believe he could make that kind of decision, did she? That doesn't make any sense. Maybe her words had a different meaning?

Kaiser spent quite some time speaking to different people, making different acquaintances. Slytherin students, whose parents were associated with the dark faction avoided him like the plague. Some clearly wished to talk to him, seeing how much potential he had, but it was not a wise move at the moment.

"We'll be leaving now. Don't forget to keep contact with us during the summer. I'll be sending you a lot of letters." Susan said hesitantly. She froze for a moment, before she summoned enough courage, nudged by her friend Hannah, and took Kaiser in a fierce hug she put more efforts into than she initially wished for. Kaiser was flabbergasted for a second, before he smiled and hugged her back. The hug could hardly be classified as friendly, if one considered the amount of time they spent and the excessive force one side was clearly using. It was more like lovers saying goodbye. And it obviously elicited different reactions.

On the one hand, there was Hannah who was happy for her friend, and the direction their relationship was heading. On the other hand, Amelia, Susan's aunt, raised an eyebrow at this unexpected development. Was there something going on with her niece and Kaiser? That got her thinking about new possibilities. Susan would inevitably have to marry, and her spouse would have to answer several criteria. One of which the possibility to keep her family name: 'Bones', and also giving it to her children. The son of another noble house would hardly accept those terms, but Kaiser, being a muggle-born, wouldn't have any difficulties with that.

One reaction Kaiser failed to notice, however, was Daphne's, who was looking at them with a calculating look. Was there maybe a hint of jealousy in her yes? No one could guess what was going through her head. She was truly indecipherable, even for Kaiser whom she spent a long time with. In fact, she was one of the people he had difficulty dealing with to this day. He could not wrap his head around her.

Kaiser slowly woke up in his luxurious bedroom at the Chamber of Secrets. The headmaster had no idea Kaiser was actually living inside the castle. In fact, he didn't know anything about his whereabouts. Under normal circumstances, Kaiser would've gone back to the orphanage, since he was still a minor. But a few weeks ago, he passed his O. in Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts, and fulfilled one of the requirements to be emancipated.

A minor can request legal emancipation in several cases, one of which if he was the last living heir of a noble house, and needed direct control over his assets. Kaiser's case was a bit… special. They would never allow him to be emancipated until he reached seventeen, but they made an exception for him for obvious reasons. Now, as far as the law was concerned, he was a responsible adult.

He took a shower and shaved his growing teenager mustache. Turns out a crimson glowing mustache isn't that good looking after all. He wore formal wizard clothes, to welcome his guest and also because he wouldn't be staying him that day. He needed to check on the advancement of the different teams.

Fortunately, the castle affected a house elf to him, his name was Cobby. Kaiser always thanked him after each meal to make him feel appreciated, and he always brightened at every compliment. They somehow loved to be flattered.

After eating breakfast he went to welcome his guest at the exit of the vanishing cabinet. Contrary to what one might think, traveling through vanishing cabinets was not uncomfortable. It was quite spacious inside, not to mention its size could be expanded or shrank. It was now in expanded state, with stairs arranged at the exit.

Kaiser felt the familiar burst of magic from the cabinet, and knew the it was time. The cabinet slowly opened to reveal a young lady clad in a blue dress, that suspiciously got tighter once it reached her waist, as if to accentuate her figure. Her long blonde hair braided beautifully behind her head, along with a silver pendant hanging from her neck added even more to the already perfect picture.

Daphne slowly descended the stairs, with a smile on her face on a mission well accomplished. Kaiser froze for a moment at the sight of her, losing his ability to think until she was close enough. She offered a curtsy, which she did not have to, per wizarding customs, yet she did regardless.

"Thank you for allowing me to stay here, Kai." Daphne was, in fact, nervous herself. This was new to her too, but she has been training Occlumency from an early age, and could therefore hide her feelings behind a cold facade. Though her usual cold face was absent at the moment; she was genuinely happy, for some reason. Maybe it was because Kaiser allowed her to stay at his home, or maybe it is because of the implications and possibilities the chamber had to offer.

"You're very welcome, Daph. Let me show you around." Kaiser said with a smile, offering his arm for her to take. Her trunk followed her through the cabinet, which was taken by the house elf to her room right after.

Kaiser showed Daphne around the house first, beginning with her room, which was suspiciously right next to his own, for 'convenience' sake. Then, he introduced her to the different facilities available, including the library, where she would spend most of her time. She could not hide her excitement at speaking to two of the greatest wizards who ever lived: Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. Salazar, especially, would be a great source of information regarding what she was hoping to achieve.

"And finally, this is called the Room of Requirement. It provides you with whatever you want as long as you picture it clearly. It's also accessible from the seventh floor."

"So this is where you spent most of your time! This is amazing!" Daphne exclaimed, something she rarely did, and the smile on Kaiser's face widened in response. He never got to know this side of Daphne. She was a person of few words, and was insanely driven toward something many still did not know. Though Kaiser already knew.

The Greengrass family has been victim to a blood curse for generations. It reduces their fertility, while increasing in potency with each generation. One generation ago, it became deadly when it flares up. It usually just weaken the victim more than usual, but it reduced the person's lifespan to a mere sixty years, which was not a lot by Wizarding standards.

Her half-sister, Astoria Greengrass, was the latest victim of the curse. Her health has been deteriorating since the curse manifested in her, and it also put an end to Daphne's cheerful days. While Astoria was not her sister from the same mother, they had the same father and she loved her dearly. Astoria always looked up to her sister and showed a lot of affection to her, which prompted Daphne to vow to never let her down. Letting her die when curing her was possible qualified as letting her down in Daphne's books.

Kaiser did not know, but the moment he made that offer to her father, the way she viewed him changed. She is immensely grateful for the opportunity he has provided her family, a chance to get rid of the curse that would've seen the Greengrass family extinct.

They would never have agreed to assist him in his endeavors otherwise: the risk was just too great, especially the "violating the statue of secrecy" part, and Karl never ceased to remind him of it, and strongly disagreed when he first proposed it. Daphne vowed to repay the kindness he has shown her family, even disguised as his own interest at stake. To this day, they did not know how he found out about the curse, but they were grateful nevertheless.

"You are free to browse any and all books available either through the library or the Room of Requirement." Kaiser said. "But, you are not allowed to test or experiment with anything, especially ritualistic magic, without my express permission and you father's."

"I won't betray your trust." Daphne offered a curtsy again. She understood why this condition was necessary. In fact, the lack of self control is what made several monsters in the past, including Voldemort. The knowledge he read about was incomplete, and therefore, the rituals he performed on himself only left an image of his former self, if any is still left. He could not control his greed and desire for power that he broke several taboos of magic, one of which was messing with your soul.

Soul magic, with the exception of very few cases, was a taboo in the wizarding world to this day, mainly because no one has ever been able to understand the implications of any change performed. There was no risk free soul ritual to this day, and many ended in ways no one could've predicted.

For instance, Dementors are thought to be the result of a failed soul ritual. They were creatures that nourished on negative emotions they induced on others. They were not affected by the physical world, and were immortal; they could not be killed through any known means. Humanity is lucky they have limited lifespan, and could be reasoned with to some degree, otherwise they would surely be the end of the world.