Oslo Airport, Norway.
The morning rush was in full swing, with travellers constantly streaming in and out of the terminal.
Yule could only escort David as far as the entrance.
His status was far too sensitive now, even in the Muggle world.
Fortunately, Mary Rowle was already waiting for them.
“Thank goodness—David!” “I’m fine, Mum.
You don’t need to worry.” David gave her a reassuring smile, then turned and waved goodbye to his uncle.
Yule flashed the two of them a ridiculously stylish farewell gesture before disappearing into the crowd.
“Was the journey all right?” Mary was still furious with John, and some of that anger had clearly spilled over onto Yule.
But when she looked at her son, the tension in her face softened into concern.
David tugged at the oversized hoodie hanging from his shoulders, then looked down at the loose tracksuit bottoms and trainers Yule had bought him.
“They’re too big.” “That careless Yule…” Mary muttered under her breath.
She pulled out her wand and discreetly adjusted his clothes until they fit properly.
“Come on.
We’re just on time.” David followed her into the terminal without asking what had happened.
There was really no need.
This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.
A year and a half ago, the circumstances had been almost identical.
The only differences were that he had been expelled from Beauxbatons instead of Durmstrang, and the people chasing his family had been French Aurors.
Come to think of it… David had now been forced out of two schools.
During the first half of his first year, he had been studying at Beauxbatons, enjoying the unique climate of the Pyrenees and its refined, aristocratic style of education.
Then Christmas arrived.
And, naturally, everything went wrong.
John Rowle had somehow managed to kick an entire hornets’ nest labelled French Ministry of Magic.
His brilliant idea had been to smuggle three Sphinxes for some Frenchman David remembered mainly for having a disgusting amount of mucus constantly hanging from his nose.
The operation was exposed.
The French Ministry responded by surrounding their home with more than twenty Aurors.
Fortunately, John had spent enough years doing questionable things to develop a healthy sense of paranoia.
He had escape plans for his escape plans.
So the whole family avoided being arrested.
The price, however, was a nationwide wanted notice for every member of the Golden Galleon Poaching Crew.
Well— Almost every member.
Mary and David were technically excluded.
John wasn’t.
Neither was his younger brother Yule.
Nor his sister Susan.
Nor Susan’s husband, Charles.
All of them had been forced to flee overnight.
Mary hadn’t exactly been innocent either.
The alchemical bombs and traps the crew used?
She made them.
So she had packed up, taken David, and abandoned the home their family had lived in for six years.
John had apparently felt terrible about the whole thing.
He even solemnly promised never to conduct illegal business right outside their home again.
What a responsible father.
That was how David had ended up transferring to Durmstrang for the second half of his first year.
And now, at the end of his second year, he had been forced out again.
He had honestly thought he might graduate from Durmstrang.
Honestly.
He had even found himself a girlfriend.
And, to be fair, this latest disaster couldn’t entirely be blamed on John.
For the past year and a half, he genuinely hadn’t caused trouble in Sweden.
Unfortunately, the Romanian Ministry of Magic had recently established closer cooperation with Sweden and several neighbouring countries, allowing their Auror offices to coordinate across borders.
Really.
John had kept his promise.
He hadn’t touched Sweden.
Not once.
He had simply terrorised almost every other country in Northern Europe.
It was like refusing to eat the grass beside your own rabbit hole while devouring the entire meadow around it.
Eventually, the untouched patch became rather obvious.
At that point, if the Swedish Ministry refused to arrest him, it would practically amount to publicly admitting they were sheltering him.
So Sweden was out.
Which left David with a more pressing question.
Where exactly was he supposed to attend his third year?
Uagadou?
Ilvermorny?
Castelobruxo?
Koldovstoretz?
Surely his father wasn’t planning to make him attend every major wizarding school on the planet.
Was David supposed to complete his magical education like some sort of international group project?
Surely John wouldn’t do that to his own son.
…Surely.
The international departure lounge.
VIP waiting area.
The boarding announcement had already sounded.
David was just getting to his feet when several men in old-fashioned suits entered the lounge.
He recognised one immediately.
Fisher.
The Swedish Auror.
David stared at him.
Seriously?
The man had chased them all the way from Sweden to Norway.
Worse, he had somehow located David and Mary with remarkable precision.
That meant David’s movements had probably been tracked.
The Ministries always claimed such systems existed to protect underage witches and wizards.
David considered that a rather generous description.
Surveillance felt more accurate.
What terrible thing was a thirteen-year-old wizard supposed to do, anyway?
Fisher spotted him almost immediately.
He exchanged a few words with the men beside him, then walked straight towards them.
Mary didn’t even need to turn around to understand the situation.
They were cornered again.
Even so, she remained perfectly composed.
“Excuse me, madam.” A huge man built like a bear stepped forward beside Fisher.
“Norwegian Ministry of Magic.
Auror Office.” His gaze flicked towards David.
Fisher gave him the smallest confirming look.
The Norwegian Auror turned back to Mary.
“We need you to come with us.” Mary barely spared them a glance before looking out through the terminal windows.
“I’m not going anywhere with you.
I have a flight to catch, and I’m going home.” “I’m afraid that won’t be possible, madam.” The Norwegian Auror remained polite.
His tone did not.
“We require your cooperation with an investigation.” “On what grounds?” Mary’s voice cooled.
“Or perhaps you’d like to show me an arrest warrant issued by the Norwegian Ministry?” She opened her handbag and withdrew a set of documents along with two airline tickets.
“My international travel clearance has already been approved.” She held up the paperwork.
“No one has the right to interfere with my freedom of movement without legal cause.” Her voice had carried farther than Fisher would have liked.
Several members of the lounge staff were already looking over.
One seemed ready to intervene.
Fisher clenched his jaw.
The Norwegian Auror beside him was clearly beginning to lose confidence.
Without the proper documentation, they couldn’t simply seize Mary Rowle in the middle of an international departure lounge.
Fisher finally nodded.
“The child is innocent.” He adjusted his trousers and sat down beside David without invitation.
Across David, he addressed Mary.
“Parents shouldn’t drag their children into situations like this.” Mary didn’t respond.
Fisher continued.
“Do you have any idea how much danger he was in earlier?” Mary simply turned towards David and took his hand.
David looked at his mother.
Then at Fisher.
Watching the Auror posture and lecture them when he obviously had no legal way to stop their departure was becoming rather amusing.
Fisher seemed to realise that his moral speech was getting him nowhere.
His expression changed.
The false concern disappeared.
“I’m sure answering a few questions won’t ruin your travel plans.” He opened a notebook and stared directly at Mary.
“After all, madam, you surely wouldn’t want anything unpleasant to happen here, in front of your son—” “Are you threatening us?” David’s voice cut straight through his sentence.
Fisher turned.
David’s voice still carried the unmistakable youth of a thirteen-year-old boy.
But there was nothing childish about his tone.
“Or do Swedish Aurors simply believe their badges give them the right to intimidate anyone they like?” Several nearby travellers glanced over.
David met Fisher’s eyes without flinching.
“Using a child to threaten his mother is shameful in any country.” Fisher’s expression hardened.
David wasn’t finished.
“And if this is normal behaviour for Swedish Aurors…” His eyes narrowed.
“…then your entire office must be filthy.” A beat of silence.
“Cowardly too.” CREATORS’ THOUGHTS SYSTEMATIC_MANIAC Enjoying the novel?
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