After Eighteen months his last back sight vision James Potter found himself in a vision standing on edge of the great lake in Hawks Landing forest.
He looked around finding a man masked in invisibility crunching down dipping his finger into the lake. A rumbling followed as something began to generate in the mystical waters of the lake.
James approached the man quickly as he started to rise from his knees and turned toward him. He could sense that man felt him watching him from another time. He nodded to him.
"James. How have you been? Busy. I hope?" The mysterious man asked.
James nodded. "Yes. I have. It took you long enough to finally come out of hiding and help me out here. You've been quiet for the last eighteen months." He said.
The mysterious man chuckled. "Yes. Well. I have been busy busy myself. Mr. Cole has been hunting for me and my servants for a bit now. I didn't come here to help you James. I came to cause some trouble and maybe a little distraction."
James shrugged sitting down on the ground. "You're adding something to this place. Whatever your reason."
"We are enemies James. You really should be more careful around me. I plan to make life more uneasy for you. I can't really apologize to you for it though." The mysterious man.
James sighed. "Enemies?! That would imply something about me that I don't believe to be so. I'm not stronger then you are, am I?"
"No. No your not. Your power doesn't work like that and your purpose is different. You are the heir of Merlin. You walk a different path." The mysterious man said and then he sighed. "My apologies I am confusing you. I meant we are not on the same team in a general sense. I am the evil villain of this tale out to rule the world." He said in a funny tone of voice.
James snorted in laughter. "Can you try not to sound like your laughing at yourself when say that? It ruins your evil presence you're trying to give off."
"Sorry. Again. I have to play a role here. We all have roles we have to play for our own reasons or reasons that are forced upon us. I don't want others trying to figure out who I am before I make my move. So for the sake of this conversation let's assume that I am the villain of this story we are engaged in. Will you do me the favor? Please James." The mysterious man asked kindly.
James nodded. "Of course. Continue. Why am I here though? Wouldn't having me being here knowing your plans ruin them?"
The mysterious man shrugged. "I don't know. Back sight visions are a strange thing. They can be useful for a time or useless to many people not in the profession or destiny your in. I can maybe guess your here to stop my plans to take over the world?"
James stared at him. "Am I having a vision or is this just a weird dream brought on by that large butter beer I had last night?"
The mysterious man sighed. "I am trying to make a bid to take over the world. That's what I'm doing?" He said.
James sighed. "Okay. I have to wonder though. The world you come from did you ever have an enemy you had to battle to become as strong as you are?"
"Of course I did James. My world had it's own Tom Riddles much in the way your world now has it's villain of your era." The mysterious man said and then paused. "That villain just happens to be me of course."
James nodded his head slowly. "Of course. What villain would there be besides you?"
"You don't have to be a smart ass about it. I am the villain of this era. Just not the kind you maybe accustomed to dealing with from history." The mysterious man said.
James sighed. "Sorry. I just wonder will any this ever make sense at any time?"
"Yes. Eventually. The game of cat and mouse will come to end. Oh. Congratulations to you. I heard your dear wife is expecting soon. I wish for you a healthy child."
James smiled. "Thank you. I'm excited. I'm going to be a dad. My father is thrilled at being grandfather soon. Do you have a girl?" He asked innocently.
The mysterious man snorted shaking a fist at James. "Nice try you sneaky devil. That is none of your damn business. You look lively. The spell I have constructed will be a challenge for you and your friends here. Mr. Cole will sieve with anger after the trouble I give you soon enough. Do you know much about the legends of Merlin and the one being able to defeat him and brought an end to his time?"
James stared at him. "What the hell did I do to you? Why the hell do I have to be involved in this beef you have with Nick?"
"Damn it James. You know damned well know I am merely using you and this place a means to set Nick on edge and relent a bit on his consistent hunting of me and dismantling of my evil empire." He said.
James stared at him open mouthed. "Okay now your really pushing it bro. Stop it with the evil empire stuff. Okay so your challenging me. Let's keep right there. Why?"
"Well in a manner of speaking I have too. Also, what is about to transpire serves a purpose common between us for the moment. You need to advance this place." The mysterious man said.
James tapped a finger to his chin staring at the troubling waters of the lake. "So if I can figure out how to beat your construct I win?! That doesn't sound right?"
"No. Try again?"
James sighed. "If I can figure out how to turn your construct to a proper use for Hawks Landing and my own personal reasons then do I solve the puzzle?" He asked.
The mysterious man nodded his head and held up three fingers. "You have three riddles to solve. Personal debt paid. Hawks Landing advancement. The meaning of friendship. If you solve riddles then you grow in power. If you don't then you'll solve for one of the riddles of the three and I will win either way because Nick will be distracted from me."
James grimaced shaking his head. "I do remember why Merlin fell and who it was that did it that's easy but I still don't get why this trick would work on me. I'm married to a hot wife."
The mysterious man nodded his head. "Maybe so. Think beyond yourself though and your own plans. What needs taking care of at present that may become a problem for you and your family?"
James nodded as an idea formed in his head. "Yeah. That is something I need to take care of."
The mysterious man nodded drawing his cloak around his body more. "I will be off then. I will leave you to your thinking and planning."
James held up his hand. "Why does there have to be villain?"
The mysterious man stared at him. "Excuse me?!"
"Why does there have to be a villain? You said your the evil villain of this story. But, isn't the villain just a hero in his own mind because he has objectives he just wants to achieve counter to the other guy?" James asked in confusion.
"I am a villain, James. That is what I am. I will not pretty up my actions or character just to puff myself up. I am a realist. But in any regard it is not for you to be overall concerned with you have your purpose to tend as I do mean. Get some sleep and enjoy your life." The mysterious man said with a nod before disappearing.
James stared at the troubling waters as looked down in them and began to see the image of human was being formed in the water.
He sat on the ground near the water as the vision turned into a dream but his mind kept turning over the riddle. Personal debt paid. Hawks Landing advancement. The meaning of friendship.
He felt his body steering as the morning was coming and remembered he had to attend his last class with Axe today before he had to move toward his next teacher.
James sighed as he started to feel himself awakening from his dream. He heard female laughter in the water. He had an idea what it was that the mysterious man had crafted in the mystical waters but still had no idea how he was supposed to use it for his own purposes.
James shook his head at the strange mysterious man. He was a villain the like of which he had never read about or understood.
There were many doubts swimming in his mind about who or what this man was. The game he played was a long one and they seemed at opposite ends of it.
He pointed his finger at the water. "Alright. I accept your challenge? Prepared to be defeated."
The laughter from the lake was all the answer James got as his mind floated up out of the dream to his waking mind.