"How long until we reach shore?"


    "Soon."


    "You said that an hour ago."


    "Still soon."


    It seemed like Victor was not in the mood to talk with the nervous Lockhart, who was pacing up and down on the control deck.


    "We get there soon. I need to be careful to not be spotted. You disturb me, please, quiet."


    "Sorry..."


    It wasn''t just Lockhart who was nervous and finding it hard to sit still; the rest of the students were, too. They were still within the British Isles, heading east, slowly and meticulously, to avoid being discovered. If all ran well, they would soon reach the shores of Scotland, where they would resurface, and the students could disembark.


    It was never in the plan to bring them away as most students would not face any repercussions for fleeing the battle, and in the chaos, nobody would fault them for escaping, not after Lord Voldemort''s death. The only ones they would be looking for are probably Krum, Lockhart, and the last persons bearing the Anguine name.


    "You stay?" Krum asked suddenly, surprising the ex-Professor.


    "I will come until we reach the mainland. I have some friends in Germany who can help me."


    "I will navigate ship north then. Dock in Denmark; you can go from there."


    "Thanks."


    "Yes. Conrad?"


    "I don''t know their plans. Which is for the best, for their own safety." Lockhart shrugged, making Victor also let out a short breath, asking no further as the duo was inside the captain''s quarters, and since leaving, they didn''t come out of it.


    ...


    ....


    ......


    Lying on the bed, watching the wooden ceiling, I felt my mind to be empty. Thoughtless. No matter what came to mind, it slipped away like a dream after waking up. It was hard to focus on anything, and if not for Quincy''s silent breathing next to me, I would have already lost myself... I think. When I looked at her, she was asleep; her eyes were puffy and red from crying, snuggling up to me with two hands.


    "I only have you..." I whispered, not wanting to let go of her.


    I wanted to sleep like her, just so I could reset my mind a little, but no sleep would come to me. I expected Herpo to pop up and say something, maybe try to convince me of something he wanted, but even he remained silent. Was I really that numbed? Probably... yes.


    I don''t know how long I was out, but I returned to myself when Quincy began stirring next to me. Was I sleeping? I frankly couldn''t tell... it was so... weird, as if I was there, yet not.


    "Conrad..." She whispered, seeing my face, hugging me, almost breaking into tears, but I made her stop this time.


    "Let''s go up... We may have arrived already."


    "C-conrad..." She mumbled, but I forced myself to smile at her.


    "It''s okay... we are still not out of hot water. Let''s go..."


    Holding her hand calmed me enough to function without any visible issues. I somehow didn''t even feel angry; I felt... nothing. Seeing us appear, Victor took a good look at me, nodding while the Professor opened his mouth to speak but then fell silent. It was a rare occasion, that is for sure.


    "We are going up soon."


    "Where are we?"


    "We left city... it called... Aberdeen? We went north, no muggles around so it safe coming up."


    "Thanks."


    "Of Course. You did good. That war could cost lot of innocent life. Not worth it."


    "It wouldn''t have happened without your help, Victor. I won''t forget this." I answered, shaking his hand as we finally resurfaced once again.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    It was already dark and cold outside as we all gathered atop the deck. I didn''t have much in me to talk or give a speech, so instead, I shook the hands of everybody present, telling them to be careful and that it would be best to discard the notebooks we used. It could be dangerous after what happened today. Seeing them board the little boats, ready to go to shore, I felt very weird and stuffy. I watched them until they all disappeared in the dark night, my last connections to Hogwarts and to my previous life. I just hoped they would be okay...


    "Let''s go." I shrugged, holding Quincy''s hand until the last moment, right until we heard a whistle. It was so sudden and fast that none of us could react to it, and before any of us caught on, a silvery tube was floating before me.


    "What''s this?" I asked, raising my hand as it fell into it, the light surrounding it disappearing.


    "Is that... a Death Will?"


    "A what?" I shuddered, looking at Lockhart, who audibly gulped before continuing. "It is used to leave behind a magical will. It is not something you see used nowadays. It was more in fashion in the Middle Ages. They are usually authored by someone who knows he is going to die to leave a will behind that will be delivered to the target, no matter what. It''s just as sure as the Triwizard Tournament''s contract."


    "Shit..." Suddenly, all my thoughts went blank once again as I was reminded of it, looking at Quincy, then back at Victor.


    "It''s good." He nodded, surprising me, "I am with Order, spying on Durmstrang."


    "What?!" I flared up as I was not expecting it, but very soon, I was back to an equilibrium. He helped me... and there was no Dumbledore here, not yet, that is.


    "That is that this is this." He continued with a small smile, "I have my own idea. Not all must be as is. But I tell you now, Conrad Anguine, you don''t need worry about the competition. You have vial?"


    "We do."


    "The competition is ongoing. Still. The task was get vial and use it in last trial. As long as it is unused, nobody wins nor loses. Even if we not told what it must be used on, trial is still ongoing."


    "Is this some kind of... loophole?" Quincy asked, thinking about it, widening Victor''s smile with her question.


    "Yes. They set up this way on plan. They knew problem will rise, so they made sure we safe from punishment."


    "Old bastards..."


    Although the exact words were swirling in my mind, it was Lockhart who said it out loud. The knowledge that we were safe made my thoughts return to the silver tube in my hand. They also noticed it as we went back down while Victor took the helm, making the ship disappear as we began our travel.


    In our cabin, Quincy and I sat on the bed, looking at the Death Will, but my hands refused to open it. I... I don''t know if I want to hear what is in it. Quincy never once urged me, simply watching me, keeping silent until I managed to force my fingers to touch its top, where there was a lid. The moment that happened, it popped like it was a bubble, and the room went dark with a silver specter of my father appearing before us. He was standing there, dressed casually, smiling at us as if nothing had happened in the past 24 hours.


    "The fact you are listening to this means you escaped and are safe. I knew you would manage it; you are my son, after all. I also know that you have many questions; let me answer them all, so please, listen well. I know you may hate me after this, but this was inevitable."


    "I would not hate you..." I whispered, hearing my voice break and feeling Quincy hold my hands in hers, squeezing them.


    "My family, your grandparents, and the woman who should have been your mother was killed by my own hands. I was about to marry someone who was a muggle, magicless. I don''t know how it came to light, but the whole family was punished. We were made to be examples of what happens if we go against the system. Voldemort ordered me to do so to save myself. Since that day, I have seen their faces and heard their screams whenever I closed my eyes. I lived for only one goal... kill Voldemort."


    "W-what...?" I barely had time to comprehend what he was saying because he continued explaining it.


    "Then he forced me to marry and carry on a bloodline. Probably to further test me. Or torture me. I don''t know... I used every protection, yet somehow, my ''wife'' became pregnant. Then... you came into my life. My son. My Conrad. Whenever I was with you, I could not hear the screams. You were the only thing that numbed it. You were the only light in my darkness, my son."


    "Father..."


    "I am sorry it came down to this. I tried giving you the best childhood possible, and seeing you and Quincy together reminded me of my own life, that which was torn away from me. I hope you two will experience what I couldn''t. Please, I want you to do it. I want you to live happily. I ensured that this message would only reach you if you successfully escaped! I don''t know where you are right now, but head to Switzerland. Go to the local Gringotts, under Bern, and show them this Will! It will give you two access to a confidential vault where I accumulated enough wealth for you and your future families to survive. It has also plenty of muggle money and assets, too, with muggle identities. As your Father, I have a final advice to you, my Son, my Daughter." He smiled happily, looking at both of us, "Live as muggles from now on. Leave the Wizarding World behind and have a happy life. I worked with them a lot; you would be surprised how fun they are! Ahaha..."


    "Dad..."


    "It is your life. You two can decide on it; nobody else can. I just hope you take this old idiot''s advice. Now, I will have to say my goodbyes. I am sorry, Conrad. I can''t be with you anymore as my time has finally come. I was planning my revenge, and I needed it. I... Need... This. I would have done it without the Order''s help, but with them, I could use their connections and resources to my advantage. Whatever happens next, don''t trust them. Trust nobody, Conrad... Only Quincy. Well... that became dark, ahaha! Sorry, sorry! I have to go now. Don''t be sad, neither of you! Because, from the other side, I will be watching over you two, and when you finally grow old together, we will meet again. You make me proud... both of you. Take care and live a happy life... Goodbye."


    "DAD!"


    I don''t know how loud I was, but my throat, my eyes, everything was burning. It hurt... breathing hurt. Existing itself... hurt. I don''t remember much, only that I was crying like never before, wailing like a banshee, buried within Quincy''s chest, who was holding my head sobbing just the same...