Sinseerity

[Minoas Stratis]

Minoas Stratis was an enigma full of fine points but also with imperfections. One particular flaw of the young man was to interpret other people's sayings wrongly. This, along with another flaw, his refractoriness, had him misinterpret Professor Kingsley's detention. He had taken his disownment way too seriously and although the Head of Gryffindor House had allowed him to return back to the common room after curfew, Minoas had took it personally and he was refusing to step into the opening behind fat lady's portrait again. His only visits at Gryffindors common room was to change clothes or get something from his trunk. Just a few minutes of feeling as an intruder. He was spending the warmer nights at the grounds, hidden behind the foliage of his favorite cedar tree close to the lake. This natural observation post was offering him a nice sanctuary away from prying eyes. The rustling of the foliage upon the kiss of the breeze and the waft of the lake meeting the pebbled shore, were lulling him to sleep.

At cold nights like this one, Minoas was preferring the warmth of the library. The archaic smell of the yellowing pages was a good anesthetic to bring you to the realm of sleep but your head against the hard, wooden surface of a table wasn't the softest pillow. Nevertheless, the librarian had ceased casting at him suspicious looks every time he was left alone in the library each afternoon. Maybe because the library the next morning was found in one piece. Furthermore, he was there studying for most part of the night. Apart from his obsession about the Scitorari, always trying to find more information about their undercover deeds, he had engaged in a long dropped hobby which he really enjoyed. He had found long ago his natural inclination to spell crafting but he had recently resumed this delightful activity. It demanded time and patience and although Minoas was working on the last one, he had enough free time as a sixth year to dedicate.

Tonight was a different occassion not including spell crafting or information about the Scitorari. Tonight he was writing back to his younger brother Perseas. The letter was not for him but for their father. Unlike Minoas and most members of the family, his younger siblings had no idea of their father's fate. His absence was justified with an indefinite business trip in Europe, in an attempt to save from extinction a really rare breed of griffins. The inability of visiting them was also explained with the fact that griffin hatchlings were in need of constant care and could not leave their nest. The twins in the end compromised by sending owls to their father but since the recepient was vanished, Minoas was the one who was receiving those letter and was writing back to them as their father. Yesterday, he had wrote a rather big letter back to his brother Theseas. Today, he had received Perseas even longer letter. His grey eyes had a hard time making sense out of his brother's bad handwriting but after a few attempts, he took a piece of parchment and wrote down his reply.

Spoiler: The letter

Dear Percy

Of course you could come and visit our premises. Perhaps when you will be a little bit older. We are looking for young people eager to work in our breeding program and I think you are more than capable to bring up a hatchling. For now I and other experts are trying to reintroduce new individuals to the wild and tone up the local population. You know the Cypriot subspecies of Griffins is the rarest and it would be a shame for such a beautiful creature to disappear from the planet. Be patient and the time will come when you'll be able to help me around.

Yesterday I received an owl from Theseas that displeased my a lot. Why you two can't stop fighting? You are brothers for Zeus shake, start acting like ones and cut the childish controversies. You're supposed to help each other not beating each other to bleeding. If I get informed again about something similar, you are both out of Hogwarts. Remember my words and don't say I didn't warn you. And before you start complaining why I'm mostly putting the blame on you, I know who is the teaser between you and Theseas. Try to get bonded with him like we did when we were reading about myths. You could help him with his homework. I know he could use your help.

Now tell me how was your week? Any new friends? Any interesting classes?
I'm also hearing you're doing good at school. That's my boy! Make sure you stay away from the forbidden forest though if you don't want to get into trouble like Minoas did in the past. Then again if you don't get caught, a little adventure never hurt anyone. If there are no witnesses, there is no crime.

I'll be waiting your owl son. For now I have to go and feed Grypian. He's a lickerish little hatchling that has a preference for my fingers. Take care of yourself and your brother and write regularly to your mother as well.

Lots of love,
Your proud dad.

P.S: Of course I can't send you a hatchling as you requested at your previous letter but you will find the Peruvian instant darkness powder you have asked for along with this letter.

Minoas smiled at the footnote. He had received some extraordinary requests from his brother from time to time like a heliopath's contained flames (do they even exist?) or a hydra dragon's scale (symbol of power). Then he made sure he had closely copied his father's handwriting and signed the letter as him. He decided to send the owl first thing in the morning but for now he folded the letter and set it aside. He rubbed his eyes in an attempt to cast away his fatigue and checked his watch. It was after midnight and Minoas decided he was too tired to continue studying. Instead he closed the heavy book he was reading and rested his head on it. His grey eyes locked on the flickering flame of a candle until his eyelids slowly shut down without realizing. A dream about him riding an eagle made him forgot of the library and his current worries.

 

[Professor Elvera Le Fey]

Elvera had always liked the hogwarts library. it was full with all kinds of books and parchments. it was becoming more and more like home to her over the years as a professor. she was actually surprised at how little time she had spent there as a student. tonight she had fancied something a little lighter than some of the things she had been reading. she wandered the shelves and found a book of poetry. she was walking out when she saw that there was a student slumped over a table. she couldn't tell if they were studying, sleeping or injured. she checked the book out and then went back past the student and saw that he hadn't moved. she headed over to him and saw he was asleep. he also saw his quill was also leaking ink as a smudge on the parchment. she moved it and couldn't help reading some of it. love your proud dad she looked at it. why was this boy writing a latter from a dad. who was he. she looked at him if she wasn't much mistaken this was mr stratis, a boy she had encountered in the library the previous year. she remembered that his dad had gone missing quite a while previously.
she scanned through the letter realising that it was one for his brother, he was pretending to be his dad so that his brother remained in the dark and not worried, he was a good big brother. she looked at her watch. it was almost curfew. it had been announced the previous year that this particular student was free for any punishment as he was disowned by his house and professor Kingsley didn't have to moderate it.
she tapped him on the shoulder "minoas. shouldn't you be heading back to your dorm, and you know peruvian instant darkness powder is prohibited" she said trying to wake him up. once she was sure he was awake she looked at him, he seemed tired, overworked and stressed, like she often felt trying to do a good job teaching, helping run the shop, look after Aine, Padme, and Luxen and keeping keeping a vague semblance of a social life or something of the sorts. "is there anything you want to talk about" she asked knowing he had a lot on his plate and although she wasn't a school councillor she felt somewhat responsible for him as she had been the one who had seen him at the festival.

 

[Minoas Stratis]

Undefined images swirled into the existance of his subconscious. He was standing there, at the edge of a high cliff feeling only the howling wind brushing his hair as he was facing vast plains bellow him. A voice was urging him to make the jump but he was sceptical. Nevertheless, he took a step forwards and the gravity took him. His clothes flapped as he was falling like a ragged doll with great speed. He begged for help somewhere inside him and the cry of an eagle came as a response. His body landed among the rich, brown-golden plumage of a giant eagle's back. He hold on the creature tightly as it flapped its wings against the rushful wind and they flew together above the vast, green plains. It was the epitomy of freedom. Flying into the vastness with the wind and the sunlight against your skin. But suddenly the sun was blocked. Shadows were casted all over him and the wind became eerie, charged with something malevolent. The eagle cried out again to warn him as shady figures towered around them. A fireball came out of nowhere to strike the eagle and lead to their fall. Minoas tried in vain to encourage the beast keep flying and escape as they were swirling downward before crashing to the ground. He stood up from the dirt to witness hands made of shadow closing around the broken body of the giant eagle. The shadows pounced and engulfed the beast before starting slithering towards him. A tap on his shoulder saved him the last moment before he was going to get devoured by the blackness as well.

Minoas jolted from sleep, finally abandoning the realm of nightmares. Taking deep breaths to deal with the shock he faced Professor Le Fey standing next to him. Her words were distant, echoing in his ears as he was realizing everything was just a making of his subconscious. It was a dream he was getting regularly the past few nights but the part with the shadows was a new addition. "I'm sorry. I- I must have overslept." he breathed, just then realizing he had heard tsomething about the darkness power from the professor's lips. Without commenting anything about it, he took the letter and put it into his bag. The professor could have already read it thoroughly but he was going to feel less embarrassed without it on the table. He started picking up his things when he remembered he didn't want to go to the common room. Furthermore, it was slightly cold night. He was going to freeze to death out there if he was going to sleep on a tree again. "Is it alright to stay here for tonight?" he asked hopeful the professor. "I'll make sure everything's back in order before leaving in the morning. I don't have anywhere to go for tonight." he said quite frankly. He would have preferred to spend the next few hours until dawn in the dungeons rather than stay at his old dormitory.