Salem Wizarding Academy Director, Jackson Dillon was no stranger to early mornings when he walked through the front doors of his home office, taking a drink from a glass of coffee he found waiting for him at his large desk.
"Thank you for the coffee, Samantha," he spoke to his secretary as he sat his bag down on the rug. "I don't what I'd do without you."
Samantha appeared from the room next door to his, carrying some files in one arm, while also drinking her own coffee with another. She smiled as she stepped in front of his desk, letting her red dress embrace the sunlight from the windows.
"Oh, stop it, Dillon! We both know you can replace me in a heartbeat."
"But where would be the fun in that?" he winked, sitting down in his chair. "Besides, I have no reason to replace you. And even I did, you would send me to an early grave."
"You're damn right! The one thing no other secretary can do better than me is making home-office coffee."
"And looking good in great dresses too," he half teased.
Rolling her eyes, she turned her attention to the files and started sorting through them, "Thank god for the summer holidays, now that it's here. All we need to focus on are a couple of meetings for the next few weeks, including planning for the next school year. While the summer program is starting up, that'll be an easy task to deal with. But we still have to take care of the now empty positions, since two of our professors have left."
Jackson sighed, "Don't tell me... Lois and Ryan decided that they're leaving for Europe."
Samantha nodded, sadly.
"Lois was offered a position in Defense Against the Dark Arts at the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic over in France. As for Ryan, he got lucky with another teaching job to be close to her. I can't really blame them, since the school is offering great wages and benefits. I'm just surprised we didn't lose Professor Irons."
Jackson smiled at that, "Of course he would refuse Durmstrang's offer. I swear, it's like he's determined to never leave."
"Agreed."
There was a knock on the door, a middle-aged woman peaking her head in.
"Mr. Dillon? There is a young gentleman hear to see you."
Jackson frowned as he looked at the sheet on his desk, "I wasn't aware I had any appointments for this morning- Oh, right! The Prince transfer!"
Samatha looked up from her folder, "Who?"
Jackson nodded as he stood up from his seat, checking his tuxedo, "Please, show him in."
The woman nodded back and closed the door, her footsteps could be heard as she walked down the hallway.
Samantha smiled, raising her eyebrows at her boss, "This should be interesting. I've never heard her use the word gentleman in that way before for a student."
"From what I was able to uncover, he has exceptional grades and has recently become a Lord."
"Maybe it's a sign of good luck for the new year to come."
A few minutes later, the doors opened again, and a young teenager stepped on through, dressed in fancy robes. Samantha had to keep herself from staring in awe, struggling to make sure her mouth was closed as he walked past her.
Jackson could see a measure of maturity in his physical and mental presence.
"Director Dillon! It's a pleasure to meet you," the young man approached the desk and offered his hand. "I know you can be a busy man, so I will make this as quick as possible."
Though taken back, Jackson retained his composure and stood up, accepting his offered hand.
"The pleasure is all mine, Mister Prince" he motioned towards one of the chairs. Both sitting down at the same time.
The young man smiled, "Thank you for accepting my request to transfer to Salem. I am honored."
Jackson was impressed with his manners. Raising his hand, he replied, "The honor is all ours, Mister Prince. Your grades and skills are exceptional. Although, I must admit that your name change is a bit confusing."
"Confusing?"
"Well, your name was originally Severus Snape, but now it's Severus Prince. It makes one wonder why you choose to switch your name."
"I mean no offense, but I do not wish to answer why. It's a personal matter."
He was at a loss of words. Even Samantha couldn't help but study the young Lord over with curiosity and shock. Jackson managed to get himself together, replying in a firm, stable voice, "My apologizes."
"No need to apologize," taking out the acceptance papers from his robes, Severus presented them to the Director.
Jackson turned to Samantha, "Please get our guest something to drink. Is there anything she can get you, Mr. Prince?"
Severus shook his head, "No, thank you, but I appreciate your offer."
"Alright then, let's get started."
"Everything inside has been signed and well prepared for processing. However, there are a few demands that I must ask of you to meet."
Jackson felt his heart sink.
If this were any other student, he could easily refuse them. But this was a Lord, not some heir or common kid. Unless if those demands interfered with the rules of the school or involved anything illegal, he was legally bound to follow them.
"We'll try out best to meet those demands."
Nodding, Severus continued, "First order of business, I wish for my name to appear as only Alexander Prince when you establish me in your files as a Salem student. The teachers and staff may call me either by Mr. Prince or Alexander, but under no circumstance is my first name to be known. To the wizarding governments and the outside world, I'm just to be known as Alexander Prince. Is this agreeable?"
Jackson was surprised by this, as no such request was ever heard of. But not one that breached any rules. Taking a piece of paper, he noted it down.
"As you wish, Lord Prince."
"Second, I am to be allowed to live outside of the school grounds. I wish to be able to move freely, without interference."
Although it was a little too demanding, Jackson understood and noted it down as well, "Yes, of course. We'll be able to meet those requirements."
"Third, you will receive proper funding from my family fortune for the time being that I am here. I believe that one hundred thousand galleons a year will be more than enough to help your school."
Jackson and Samantha's eyes widened at this.
"Um, beg your pardon, Mr. Prince," Jackson coughed. "But did I hear you right? One hundred galleons a year?"
Severus nodded, "Yes, that is right."
"But... why?" he accidently blurted out. "I don't even think that is considered to be a demand. If anything, it benefits me and Salem in every way possible."
"Because I take care of my assets, including when it comes to education. Since I will be attending your school and with the demands, I am giving you to meet, it's only logical I give something in return. Not to mention having financial security helps a lot, especially for my assets."
Completely taken away by this, Jackson blinked as he wrote it down.
"And there's one more thing," Severus leaned forward in his chair, meeting Jackson's eyes. "I wish to know the current location of Professor David Irons."
Jackson frowned, not expecting the question.
"As in Potions Teacher, David Irons?"
Severus nodded, "Yes, the very same. I wish to meet with him to discuss business, considering his family name is one of the biggest in the American Wizarding World. If anything, he is pretty much a Lord as I am, which gives us something in common. Business relationship opportunities are very important."
"I'm afraid Mr. Irons is out of the city for the summer. He and his family love to spend their vacation traveling. They are currently in New York City for the time being, doing business with the American Ministry of Magic. I can arrange a meeting if you'd like."
"No, thank you, Director," Severus smiled. "I can arrange a meeting of my own with him."
"But he is a busy man and I am friends with him-"
"Like I said, I can arrange my own meeting with him. But I thank you for your offer to help."
Jackson nodded in reply, "Is there anything else?"
"No, that is all."
Setting the pen down and after handing both the piece of paper and application forms over to Samantha, the Director of Salem folded his hands as he studied the young Lord before him.
Once Samantha was out of the room, they immediately began the work to fully get the proper documentation needed for the transferring into Salem Wizarding Academy. Once it was all said and done, Severus left with a smile on his face, ready to initiate phase two of his plan.
The very moment the door closed, Jackson let out a sigh of relief. As much as he found the man intriguing, there was a presence to that made him want to keep the Prince Lord at arm's length.
"Is it just me or did Salem just get a lucky break?" Samantha smiled as she entered the office. "How often do we get a Lord of some House to apply for our school, let alone actually attend as a student? We got lucky with David Irons, but even his family name was new. The Prince Dynasty has been around for hundreds of years. And now one is actually coming here."
"Yes, this is our biggest break since Professor Irons, but I have a feeling that we need to keep our eye on this one. There's something about him that makes me wonder."
Samantha licked her lips as she smiled seductively, "If only I could be a student again. I miss being seventeen."
"Now, now, Samantha," Jackson chuckled. "Those days are long over. Time to start looking for more older men."
Samatha sighed, "Well, at least I'm not too old yet. By the way, we still have work to do."
"As always."
/
The sunlight shined its way through the large windows of the master bedroom, reaching the face of a man, who was peacefully asleep under the covers of a queen-sized bed. Once feeling the heat of the sun on his face, the man sighed, and his eyes opened to morning that awaited him. Turning to lay on his back, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked over to his side, finding a woman just a couple of inches from him.
Covered with blankets, the woman slept peacefully, her head on a fluffy pillow and her hands laying to the side of her face. Her skin was radiant from the sunlight, which failed to wake her.
Smiling, the man moved closer to her and used his hand to caress her cheek that was exposed to him, enjoying the softness of her skin. Feeling her stir in her sleep, he leaned over and gently began to kiss her cheek, and then slowly moved her lips. When he finally reached them, he felt the woman kiss him right back, hearing her moan in pleasure.
"Morning, handsome," the woman smiled, opening her eyes.
The man winked at her and replied, "Morning back at ya, beautiful."
Chuckling, the woman leaned up on her side, keeping the covers close to her chest, and brought her hand to the back of the man's head, bringing him back towards her. They met with their lips connecting, renewing their kiss.
"This summer vacation is getting better by each day," the man began kissing her cheeks and neck, taking his time as his wife leaned back to give him more skin.
"I always wondered how people would react to an old couple like us acting this way," she teased, smiling once she felt her husband reach her exposed breasts. "Even after thirty years, we still behave like teenagers."
"Hey, we're not that old," the man replied, teasing her down below.
"Keep telling yourself that. Now, get over here!"
Before the man could respond, the woman grabbed ahold of him by the shoulders and rolled them over, blankets scattering all around them as their bodies were suddenly exposed to the morning sunlight that was shining on them.
Despite that both of them were close to the age of fifty, David and Felicity Irons were in great shape, both physically and mentally. In fact, they both still looked to be in their early thirties, with the help of some potions and good old fashion diets.
Although, unknown to many, David and Felicity were not their birth names.
As a Potions Professor, David Irons was considered to be the best that Salem ever had. Even though he had no official records of ever attending a school, it was Salem's Director Jackson Dillon who helped him get accepted into the institution, who was impressed with his work and knowledge, an act that led to the two becoming close friends. Since then, David used his small fortune to invest into the American Wizarding World, especially the government, which has turned him into a very rich man and popular figure in the Wizarding World of America. And despite some business deals in Britain and other European Wizard countries, David vowed to keep his operations mainly in America.
Since the day he stepped foot in Salem, David has found himself being pursued by both female students and school staff, including one by the name of Samantha, his boss's secretary. Maybe if he had been single at the time, he most definitely would have taken up on dating a few of the staff members who were so willing. But his heart and soul belonged to the woman in his arms.
David's life was rather complicated, always leaving much of his past a mystery to those in his life, even his children. The only one who knew the answers to the questions that everyone always brought up was his wife. But then again, she was there for most of it anyway. What was known about David was that he traveled the world before settling in Salem. He told stories of where he traveled but mentioned very little of what he did. Due to his silence of neither confirming nor denying any of the rumors, lots of stories have surfaced about him in the school of Salem.
As for his wife, Felicity Irons was a best-selling witch author of the American Wizarding World, including a full-time mother of two children in her life. In her teenage years, everyone once considered her to be average, especially among the boys. But what ultimately made her life hard was the fact that she was what the British Wizarding World called a muggleborn. Or worse, mudblood as purebloods liked to call her.
Her mother raised her the best she could, while her father was a war veteran drunk, although he did care for her in his own way. It her mother's job at as a librarian that kept the money coming in.
Like David, she was born and raised in Great Britain, or more specifically the British Wizard Community. When she first got her Hogwarts acceptance letter, it was a great moment of her life. Those trips her father, and mother would take her on to Diagon Alley, or to King's Cross Station, were some of the best memories.
If anything, it was when she turned 11 that her father started to drink less. And by her 3rd year, he had completely overcome his addiction and started to work more to provide for both her and her mother. At the time, Felicity never knew what started this change, but after having a daughter and seeing her off to Salem, it dawned on her how less she got to spend with her and also Ben.
Her guess was that he had realized how important she was to him when she was no longer there. A reality like that, hitting him harder than any hangover must have snapped him out of it to end the habit in just two years. She meant to ask him when she was younger why he had changed, but she was afraid to annoy him due to his stoic personality.
But she was happy to have memories of a better father during her time at Hogwarts, even if they were few and far between the months she would be away.
She could remember boarding the Hogwarts Express and walking into the front gates of Hogwarts itself. It was the first time she was so filled with excitement and wonder. She had been sorted into Ravenclaw, quickly making friends.
Everyday always offered something new for her, some form of adventure and excitement. But this new also opened up some new challenges, especially when it came to her being a muggleborn. Because of her being the daughter of muggles, she became a target of Slytherin, who bullied anyone in Hogwarts who they declared to be a mudblood or blood-traitor.
But it was also in Hogwarts that she met the love of her life: David.
It wasn't like in the books or movies, where the romance always had the two characters falling in love at first sight or within a couple of months. For them, it was simple. They started off as just friends in first year, growing a bond of trust and ease around each other. By fifth year, they were nearly inseparable, doing almost everything together.
But it was in their sixth year when something changed.
Maybe it was hormones or just the fact that they had a solid foundation, but it led to them forming feelings for one another and falling in love by the time the year was over. And then, tragedy struck when her parents were killed in a car wreck accident the day after she had gone back to Hogwarts for her final year.
The news devastated her, and she wouldn't have been able to continue on with her studies if it weren't for David being by her side. He was patient and supportive, whether if it was just simply being a shoulder to sleep on, schoolwork, or simply being there. It was in those dark few months that she had realized that she had fallen so deeply in love with him.
When Christmas came, Felicity stayed at the Castle, but David was there almost every night to keep her company. Sneaking out of his family's home was hard but not impossible for him. And by Christmas Eve, two made love for the very first time.
For David, it was a scary and exciting thing for him, almost the same for her, but for different reasons. Because he was a highborn, he was already promised to another highborn girl. But like the young love birds they were, they decided to fight against it together. After graduating Hogwarts, David had confronted his father about their relationship and his intentions to marry her, which didn't end well between them.
David was no idiot, despite his hopes that his father would agree to let him marry Felicity. He had planned ahead of time to run away with her, getting the supplies and wealth from his father's vaults needed to make their escape and live a comfortable lifestyle. It took some convincing, but Felicity agreed to it. And after the arguement between David and his father, they ran away to begin new lives.
Over the next 18 years, they traveled the world and visited all sorts of places.
Knowing his father would search for them, they had changed their names over the years, even learning from a few cultures of the art of stealth, which was a whole other story to tell. But thanks to having taken some money from his family's fortune, they were financially secure and free move more easily.
Eventually, they would marry in the year of 1955 and settle down in Salem, Massachusetts some time later. Officially, they went by their new identities of David and Felicity Irons. And since settling in Salem in 1965, the two raised two children, a girl and a boy.
The girl looked more like Felicity, while the boy resembled his father, with a few noticeable differences. The two would start going to Salem at the age of 11, similar to the rules of Hogwarts and many other wizarding schools.
Ever since coming to America, the Irons Family had become one of the richest, most powerful figures in the Wizarding World of America. They were almost invested into everything, even having influence in the American Ministry of Magic. They were well-respected and well-liked by everyone, with the exception of a few enemies
As the two rolled around in the bed, they kissed passionately, basking in the sunlight shining on them.
/
In the kitchen of the large suite of the wizard inn that the Irons Family were staying in, two teenagers moved around the cabinets and drawers, dressed in cook clothing.
"They cannot be still going at it," the teenage girl moaned as she used the tip of her wand to flip the pancakes on the pan of the stove. "I swear, sex has to be the most disgusting thing on the entire planet."
"Oh, come on, Nora!" the teenage boy across from her, teased, using his wand to stirring the eggs in a bowl and levitate a pair of toast to a plate. "Let them be young at heart."
The girl called Nora rolled her eyes, "Whatever. It's still disgusting."
"You do realize that we're going to be that age one day, right? We won't be teenagers forever."
"You just remember that. I hope you make some achievements to get some witch's attention to marry you."
"I take offense towards that!" the teenage boy sent her a glare, one that sent a smile across her face, without even having to look at him. "I'm a star in the Flyboard Racing, not to mention championship winner of this year, of course there will be witches turning their attention to me."
"Just be careful not to get trapped by any sl-"
"Don't say it, Nora!" the boy gave her a glare, warning her to back off. "You know I hate that word."
"Come on, you know they're out there! I just want to protect my little bro."
"Hey! I'm not that short," the boy paused, deep in thought. "Okay, maybe a little bit."
"A little?" she teased.
"Shut up!" the boy raised his voice to silence her. "And besides, what if some witch does want to do the tango? As long as I keep myself safe, it's all good."
"I'm sure mom and dad will have something to say if I told them about what we just discussed."
"You wouldn't!" the boy stared at her, narrowing his eyes.
Nora cocked her eyebrow at him, smiling, "Try me, loverboy."
"If you do, I'll tell them about the time you faked your age in order to try to win tickets to the Rocking Spells Concrete last year."
Fear rose in the girl's eyes. While she was still hurt that she didn't manage to win those tickets, it was a miracle that no one discovered what she did. With the exception of her brother.
"Okay, fine!" she whined, bringing up her hand. "I promise not to reveal your secret if you don't reveal mine. Deal?"
"Deal!" the boy did a small victory dance around his sister and shook her hand, hearing a loud noise from behind him. Turning around, he saw that the eggs were being burnt. "Oh, come on!"
Nora covered her mouth as she started to laugh.
"Don't laugh, Nora!" the boy yelled back.
Once they finished making breakfast, the two of them started setting up the dinner table, while waiting for their parents to come out of their bedroom.
"So, have you decided what you want to do once your final year is over?" the boy asked.
Nora turned to look at him, thinking to herself, "I'm not fully sure. In fact, I don't even know what dad or mom think I should do."
"You already know the answer to that. They want you to do whatever you want. Dad has lots of connections to help you."
"But here's the thing, I think I want to do what dad and mom did when they were young. I want to travel the world, see different cultures, sail the seas, climb mountains-"
"Stalk the Rocking Spells during their tour?" her brother teased.
"And? What's wrong with that, Ben?"
The boy known as Ben, chuckled, "But seriously, I don't know if mom and dad would approve of that. They want us to really think hard about our futures."
Nora lowered her head, unable to meet his eyes, "I just... I want to know where they come from, who they were, what they did, who the rest of our family was or still is. They're so secretive about everything, and it drives me crazy. The answers they give us about their past lives don't say anything about them, and not to mention that their usual answer is the clichéd "we'll tell you everything when you're older". We still don't know what country they were born in or what school they went to."
"Um, sis, they kinda already told us where they come from."
"What?! How come you know and I don't?!" she demanded.
"Well, I sort of overheard them mentioning Britain a couple of times-"
"You mean ease-dropping, right?
"I prefer to describe it as overheard, thank you! Anyway, they mentioned Britain a few times before, when they have thought we were sleeping."
"And you didn't mention this to me until now... why exactly?"
"Because I wanted to see if I could use it as leverage against you when the opportunity arose."
Nora raised an eyebrow at him.
"But seeing how you want to know, and have the right to, I figured it would be a good time as any to reveal it."
"Alright, so, they actually said Britain?" Nora was becoming more invested.
Ben nodded "If they are from Britain, then that means only one thing... they went to Hogwarts!"
"Just because they mentioned Britain a few times doesn't mean they were born there or went to Hogwarts."
"Hey guys!" came a voice from behind them, nearly making them jump out of their skins as they turned to find their mother and father walking towards the dinner table, both wearing white robes.
"Oh, you made breakfast, I'm famished," said David Irons, who immediately took his seat right next to his wife, who was already dishing herself up with some pancakes.
Looking at each other, both Nora and Ben calmed themselves down and took their seats as well, trying to act normal.
"Thank you for the nice courtesy of making breakfast, but I get a feeling that you want something in return though," Felicity shot her children a knowing look at them.
Ben smiled nervously, chuckling terribly as he replied, "What? No! We don't want something in return. Why can't a normal breakfast made by your two lovable kids, just be a normal breakfast made by-"
"We have something to ask of you!" Nora interrupted, rolling her eyes at her brother. "And we want the truth, that's all we want."
Felicity and David turned to look at each other and set a knowing look, setting their silverware down.
"Alright," David nodded. "Go ahead and ask us what you know. But we'll be the ones to judge if you need to know or not."
"Oh, come on, Dad!" Nora sighed. "You pretty much know what I want to ask, why can't you just be honest."
"Because we're not sure if you're ready for the truth, darling," Felicity reached across the table and touched her daughter's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.
Groaning to herself, Nora leaned back into her chair and crossed her arms, nodding back in reply.
Nodding back, David asked, "What is your first question?"
"Where were you born?"
Taking a few seconds, it was Felicity who replied, "Your father and I were born in Britain, of the British Wizarding World."
Ben light up with joy as he pointed directly as his sister in triumph, "Aha! I told you they said Britain! I told you!"
"So, you've been ease-dropping on us, hm?" Felicity raised an eyebrow at Ben.
Blushing with wide eyes, Ben sat back into his chair, trying to hide his embarrassment, while Nora laughed, "Opps! Um, I prefer... overheard?"
"Mm-hmm," Felicity raised an eyebrow at him, before turning her attention back to Nora, who continued to stare down at the empty plate in front of her.
After a few more seconds of silence, she finally asked her next one, "Does that mean that you both went to Hogwarts?"
Felicity and David looked at each other again.
"Yes," her father replied. "We went to Hogwarts for our education. But other than that, we'll answer no more questions. Let's eat before the food gets-"
"What about our grandparents?" Nora pressed on, looking up to face her father's eyes. "Are they still alive? Who were they? Do you both have any siblings? Do we have any cousins? What did you do during the time that you and mom traveled the world? What made you decide to do that in the first place?"
"Enough, Nora!" David raised his voice, his face red with a mix of different emotions. "I will answer no more questions from here on out. Your mother and I promise to tell you everything one day, but not now. Understood?"
With all of her strength and will-power, Nora forced herself to nod, before turning her gaze at the plate before her, disappointed.
Sighing, David calmed himself down, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lose it like that with you. I know how much it means to you both that you want to know about our past, and I promise we will tell you everything, but now is not the time." He looked towards Felicity, who gave him a reassuring smile in return, but reluctantly. "Let's just enjoy this wonderful meal that you two have made and our summer vacation, alright?"
Both Nora and Ben nodded and replied, "Yes, dad."
Once digging into the food before them, Ben decided to lighten the mood with some of his jokes, "Oh, do you want to hear a joke about the elephant and the naked man?"
"Oh Merlin, someone stop him before it's too late!" Nora covered her face, struggling to keep her laughter from being heard.
"Alright, an elephant comes across a naked man, after studying him over, the elephant asks, "How do you breathe through that thing?".
Everyone started laughing, including Nora, despite doing all she could to block out her brother's voice. Wanting to get everyone in a good mood, Ben told another joke, which earned him another round of laughter that echoed through the suite that they were staying.