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Chapter Text

Wei Ying stared at what appeared to be the night sky above him. The problem was it didn't look like any night sky he had ever seen, nor should he have been able to see it through the miasma of the Burial Mounds. If his predictions about what should have happened when he destroyed the seal were accurate, his body and soul should have been ripped to shreds by the backlash of the resentful energy being released so suddenly, so why was he able to open his eyes at all?

Closing his eyes, he focused his other senses to try to figure out where he was. He could feel a smooth floor under his back, along with the burning of his wounds. He could hear a lot of shouting, but what was being shouted escaped him, as he didn't understand any of the words being used. Some of it sounded vaguely familiar, like some long-forgotten memory, but beyond that, there was nothing.

Slowly, to avoid aggravating his injuries, Wei Ying sat up and opened his eyes to look around his surroundings. He seemed to have landed between two long tables. The only adults in the room seemed to be at the table directly in front of him and the people at the tables beside him looked like they ranged in age between eleven and eighteen. Only the adults were wearing colourful robes, leaving Wei Ying to guess those at the lower tables were their students. Most were wearing some variation of the same style of robes, however, those on his left wore robes edged in yellow while those on his right wore robes edged in blue. Though they shared some similarities, they were largely distinct from the robes he was used to seeing.

“Where am I, and how did I get here?” Wei Ying muttered as he lifted a hand to his head. It was as he spoke that silence finally descended over the hall and a man in extremely brightly coloured robes spoke to him.

Wei Ying cocked his head to the side before replying.“I have no idea what you just said.” Wei Ying cringed after he spoke, mentally berating himself for his words as he knew Madam Yu would not be impressed with his lack of manners.

“He asked if you were Harry Potter and if not who you were,” a soft voice spoke from his right and Wei Ying turned to see a girl with a friendly, if guarded, smile looking at him.

“I have no idea who this Harry Potter is. I’m Wei Ying, courtesy name Wuxian.” Wei Ying gave her his best smile before moving his hand to his side with a wince. “Please excuse me for not bowing properly to greet you but quite honestly, moving hurts too much to even think about it.”

“This one is Chang Cho. You don't need to be formal here as most of us are students.”Chang Cho introduced herself before reassuring him, then almost as an afterthought asked, “Would you like me to call Madam Pomfrey over to see to your injuries? Or would you prefer an explanation about what is going on?”

“The healer would be most appreciated as much as I would like to know where I am, what is going on, I think I need to put my health first,” Wei Ying replied as he closed his eyes to reduce his nausea. Not a moment later, he heard her call out in what he guessed was the language most people around him spoke, and the resulting rustle of a person moving quickly in robes. He soon felt someone kneel at his side and start muttering before exclaiming in horror about something before everything went black again. 

As Madam Pomfrey started tending to the mysterious man, Dumbledore waited for a few moments as the hall settled into silence again. 

“Ms. Chang, I’m afraid I didn’t recognise the language you were speaking to our guest in and I’m fairly sure the rest of the hall didn’t either. Did he say who he was? What language was it and how do you know it?” Dumbledore asked. 

Cho looked down in mild embarrassment at being singled out in the middle of the Great Hall by the headmaster before taking a deep breath and replying. She was also slightly confused as to why the man didn’t recognise Mandarin in the first place.He was the current head of the IWC, shouldn’t he know enough of the language to recognise it? Or was he just that lazy that he relied on translation charms the whole time? 

“I spoke to him in Mandarin, which I know because my mother insisted I learn it.  I don’t think he knows about magic as he didn’t ask about a translation charm or anything like that. As for your other question, his name is Wei Wuxian, and he has never heard of Harry Potter before. The Ravenclaws around her stared, as did the rest of the people in the hall, which made Cho shift uncomfortably in her seat.

“Would you mind being his translator until we can gauge his health levels and how comfortable he is around magic?” Dumbledore asked her with a small smile trying to cover his surprise.

Madam Pomfrey spoke up just as Cho was about to reply. “We will definitely need a translator of some sort, Headmaster. Whatever that boy went through has left some huge injuries and honestly, I need help dealing with them all. Even if that were not the case, casting any more magic except healing magic on him in his current condition might kill him.”

A stir ran through the hall as Dumbledore stared numbly at Madam Pomfrey, she was one of the highest qualified school healers he’d ever met and for her to admit she couldn’t handle all of the boy’s injuries…they had to be serious. Turning to his staff, he saw Flitwick nod, and vanish as he went to call a Goblin healer to assist Poppy. While Albus wasn’t fond of the Goblin nation in general, he acknowledged they were probably better equipped to deal with some of the injuries their guest had.

***

When Wei Ying came to, he stared. He couldn’t help it, all around him were people who were shorter than him. They had greyish skin with large ears and quite a few of them had swords or blades that put the Nie Sect sabres to shame. The beings that had the blades hung them from their hip or kept them strapped to their backs. The healer from the school was also there, but she was at a table a few meters away.

“This is getting old really quickly.” Wei Ying grumbled quietly—but not quietly enough—as one of the beings closest to him jump in surprise.

“Young Master Wei, we didn’t expect you to be awake so soon,” the closest person said in a heavily accented voice. The pitch of which gave nothing away, leaving Wei Ying unable to determine if his conversation partner was male or female.

“Mind if this one asks where he is and how he got here? What are you and how should I be addressing you?” Wei Ying asked, instead of dealing with the idea that he had woken up sooner than he had been expected to.

“Well, Young Master Wei, you are currently in the infirmary of Gringotts Bank as the healer at the school realized your injuries were too severe for her to treat, and nobody wanted to send you to Saint Mungo’s Hospital. As for what I am and what you can call me, I am a Goblin and my people don’t generally give out our names. To do so is a serious breach of etiquette. You took quite the beating before the Goblet managed to summon you. You caused quite a stir with your arrival as the champion selection was two weeks prior to your arrival and you have been unconscious for three days since then. Since we needed to confirm your identity, we ran a blood test once you were stable enough to do so, which confirmed you are the one the Goblet intended to summon, one Mr Harry Potter.”

Wei Ying frowned. “How can I be this person you are looking for if I don’t recognise the name? Nor do I speak the same language, come to think of it? And why would a Goblet need to summon me?”

“From what we have been able to figure out, when your birth parents were killed, it activated the runic array underneath your crib. From what we could gather, the array was meant to send you to safety, but Lily something went wrong and you ended up…Wherever or whenever you did.

“Do you know what went wrong? And what do you mean whenever? ” Wei Ying asked but the Goblin only shook his head.

“Either she miscalculated where safety was or the array was damaged but no one could tell which.”

Wei Ying sighed as he processed the information he had been given. “I’d like to see a copy of the array if possible. Also, I’d prefer if you called me Wei Wuxian as I have no memory of any other name. To have people call me something new and still expect me to respond to it is asking for trouble.” He said eventually. 

The Goblin healer looked at him in surprise.“Why would you want to do that?”

“It might hold the key as to how I can get home. While I respond to lots of different names, I really don’t feel like adapting to a new one.”

“I’ll see what I can organise. In the meantime, I would like to go over what needs to be done in order to get you completely healed. You have numerous stab wounds and other signs of torture, signs of an incomplete surgery, and you had a few broken bones - but those have already been fixed. There was also some residue from some sort of backlash, but we were unable to determine if that was caused by the Goblet or something else.”

“Wait! What do you mean by an incomplete surgery? The only operation I had was to give my brother my golden core and the person who did that was extremely careful about it. She wouldn’t have left anything to chance.” While he normally wouldn’t share that information, he was getting the same vibes off this healer as those he normally received from Wen Qing and he didn’t wish to make them angry at him. Wen Qing was the best healer he had ever met after all, so why would he not defend her?

“Well, I hate to say it, but while the surgery did remove your ‘golden core’ as you call it, it wasn't finished properly for whatever reason. There were a couple of broken blood vessels which showed some signs of healing in that area, as well as a small slightly damaged energy network which we have healed for you. There were also small traces of energy concentrated in the area under where the incision was…”

Wei Ying tuned the healer out as what was just said registered in his mind. Small traces of energy located at the site of his core? An energy network that was damaged, but was now healed? He knew a golden core was always surrounded by a series of qi meridians which one used to channel qi into the lower Dantian. It was becoming clear to Wei Ying that there was no way he was in the same time period as he had grown up in. Wen Qing’s methods were revolutionary and there was no way she’d have missed what this healer was describing.  It was within that lower Dantian that the golden core was then formed. If that energy network had been healed from Wen Qing trying to collapse them to stop the sickness that came from the loss of one's golden core, that meant he might be able to form a new one and not have to resort to using only demonic cultivation as he had been!

The healer fell silent with a huff as he realised his patient was no longer listening to him. Humans! This was why he preferred treating other magical beings, humans never listened properly! Suddenly he felt the energy in the room stir, what was going on? Slowly the healer opened his senses and couldn’t help the squawk of shock that escaped him. The human was in a meditative state and seemed to be slowly gathering energy to himself. Not a lot and definitely not enough to impact the natural balance within the energies of Gringotts, but still. 

The healer turned to his patient to examine him further. He was about to start running a scan when he paused. He hadn’t been able to treat the stab wound on his patient's side as any extra magic had been inadvisable by the time he’d seen to the rest of his injuries, but as he watched, the wound was slowly closing. A glance to the side and he saw that Madam Pomfrey was also watching the process in amazement. What they were seeing just wasn’t possible! As they watched, a small smile crossed their patient's face before he breathed out slowly, and opened his eyes again.

“What did you just do?” The Goblin healer demanded.

“You said you found traces of energy at the site of my surgery and that you had healed the damaged energy network you found in the area. That made me check to see if I would be able to reform my golden core. Now any Cultivator worth their sword knows you cannot heal a melted core, however, my core wasn’t melted, it was removed to be implanted in my martial brother. Since the surgery was experimental, there was no data to see if a new core could be reformed. I know that those who develop their golden core later in their lives are never as powerful as those who form one early, but there is no information available that could be applied in my case...” Wei Ying explained before trailing off. He shook his head and refocused on the weird healer in front of him.

“Anyway, when I checked the area, I saw that the energy network you spoke of was my meridians. Wen Qing had deliberately tried to collapse them to prevent me from getting sick. Since you healed them, they are once more intact which could have had a serious long term consequence. The energy you had found traces of were energies I had subconsciously collected, but they were simply free-floating and would probably have dispersed soon had you not mentioned them. I simply used the same meditation techniques we use as children to form those energies back into a core. Sure, they contain a balance of resentful and normal cultivation energies at present, so I’ll need to sort through it soon to cleanse it - unless I want to get sick, but it’s a start.” Wei Ying smiled happily at the baffled healer in front of him, unconcerned about having just confused them completely.

The Healers looked at each other. Cultivators? Meditation to form a golden core? Meridians? What was the young man talking about? Since the Goblin healer was the one who spoke Mandarin, he decided to ask the questions he and Poppy had.

“Young Master Wei, while you seem happy about your discovery I must admit we have no idea what you are talking about. I have to ask though, in light of what you’ve just told us, how aware are you of magic and have you had any training in it?”

“Hmm, I vaguely remember my mother speaking about it to my father before they died on a night hunt. I’ve always felt like I should remember more about it, but since I don’t know how long I spent as a street brat before Uncle Jiang found me and took me to Lotus Pier, I’m afraid most of those memories of my parents are gone.” Wei Ying closed his eyes as he tried to remember more before sighing and shaking his head, his voice was bitter as he spoke his next sentence: ”Anything my parents owned was confiscated by the Innkeeper when he threw me out onto the street after my parents didn't come back for the third night in a row.”

The healers blinked. “So when you talk about energy and golden cores you aren’t speaking about magic?” The Goblin healer clarified.

“Why would I talk about magic when I barely remember my mother talking about it? I mean sure, I vaguely remember it being mentioned - as I said earlier - but I have very few memories of my parents. I was very little when my mother and father died and then I spent quite a lot of time on the streets concentrating on surviving. For all, I know magic and cultivation could deal with two different types of energy.”

Madam Pomfrey exchanged a look at the Goblin healer, grateful for the translation charm she had used so that she could at least understand what was being said before sighing. Either they would have to abuse a time turner or they would have to hope their lost saviour was a quick learner. Preferably both if she was being honest with herself.

“One thing you said earlier is bugging me though,” Wei Ying said suddenly, interrupting the two healers before they could speak.

“Oh, and what would that be?”

“You said these champions were selected by the Goblet two weeks before I was summoned, what caused the delay?”

“We were hoping you could tell us. Under normal circumstances, it should have summoned you straight away, however, as you said it took two weeks for that to happen. We can only assume that something blocked the Goblet's ability to summon you. How long ago was the surgery to remove your golden core? Did you do something right before you were summoned?” The Goblin healer asked calmly.

Wei Ying closed his eyes with a sigh as he recalled what he had done just before arriving in this weird place. When he opened them again he stared blankly at the ceiling.

“I broke a seal I had created, which should have killed me if I’m honest. The seal was something I created to help turn the tide of the war I was fighting and it did so a little too well. Once the war had ended, people wanted the seal for its power, and they didn’t care who had to die for them to get it.” A tear trailed down his face as he thought about all the innocent people who had been slaughtered at the burial mound before he had chosen to break the seal. He hoped that A-Yuan would be safe at least, but he knew the child he had come to know and love living long enough for Wei Ying to see him again was slim. 

“I never should have created it. I could feel the grip its energy had on me, I could feel what it was doing to me and I could see the changes it was making to my personality. I was just so desperate to be able to save my martial brother, to protect those I cared for and in the end, it made me lash out at one of the few people who stood by my side. It made me hurt the one person I would give just about anything to protect. When I went to break the seal I did so knowing I would probably die, and to be honest I embraced that fact. I felt it was what I deserved after all the horrible things I did during the war.”

Silence met his words even as tears continued to slowly make their way down his cheeks silently. The healers didn’t know what to think. The Harry Potter the wizarding world was expecting to appear was a fourteen-year-old boy. Sure they didn’t know about how he grew up but the common consensus was he would be a true Gryffindor. Brave, strong and noble, ready to defend them from everything, yet innocent enough to not understand the responsibilities they were thrusting onto his shoulders. The young man in front of them fit the first three expectations but he was broken in a way they had only seen in the veterans who fought both Grindelwald and Voldemort. Not to mention, he was a young man . Wei Ying was twenty-two as far as they could tell from the scans. Not that it mattered in the end, the burdens the wizarding world wished to thrust on him shouldn’t be thrust on anyone no matter how old they were.

Chapter Text

The day of the first task arrived much too soon as far as Wei Ying was concerned. Sure he had been working as hard as he had been able to to be as physically fit as possible for the unknown task he was facing, but that was nothing compared to the countless hours he had spent learning ‘magic.’ The healers had decided to focus on getting him as healthy as possible before starting to teach him as much as they could. ‘As much as possible’ turned out to be quite a bit when one considered a time turner combined with Wei Ying’s intelligence Either way, he had only had a week’s worth of ‘magic training’ compared to the roughly seven years worth of magic training his fellow champions had had, meaning that he would have to use his cultivation skills to make it through this task as safely as possible. 

Due to this, Wei Ying had decided to wear his normal style of clothing and to complete the task using the tools he was most familiar with. This meant he had a bunch of blank talisman papers hidden up his sleeve as well as a cinnabar stick and a plain bamboo dizi on his hip. He had agreed to wear a leather strap around his wrist to aid in learning the language of the country he was in as a concession to the judges, though they hadn’t been happy about his refusal to use a wand. Why would he use a stick when swords were sturdier? Or when a couple of notes from a dizi could produce results that could turn things in his favour?

The tent that all the champions would gather in was similar enough to the tents he was used to, thanks to the Sunshot Campaign. Wei Ying sat meditating as he waited for the arrival of his fellow champions and didn’t stir until all three had arrived. Once they had, he stood to one side and took his cues from them about how he should interact with them. Looking at the other champions, he couldn’t help feeling awkward as he was clearly the eldest champion yet he was also the only one not trained in magic. Once the man dressed in black and yellow left, having had them choose their order, Wei Ying turned his attention back to the three teens in the tent with him. To his surprise, he saw that all three of them were watching him as well.

“Can I help you?” Wei Ying asked uncertainly.

“So, you can speak English! Why didn’t you do so when you arrived?”

“Technically I can’t speak English yet. This band around my wrist is translating everything for me,” Wei Ying said with a small smile showing them his wrist.

“That’s clever!” the only female in the tent said in a tone that made it clear she would have liked one as well.

“Isn’t it? Anyway, I’m sure you have questions but unfortunately, I don’t have proper answers for you as I don’t have them either.”

Before they could talk further there was the sound of a blast and Cedric sighed.

“Guess that’s my cue. Good Luck!”

“You too,” Wei Ying replied quickly, having a little trouble controlling his automatic reaction to run to see what caused it. He took a deep breath to centre himself then looked at the other two again and saw they were giving him concerned looks.

“Sorry, I’m still a little on edge.” He said with a sheepish grin.

“Why? I’m Fleur, by the way.” The girl now identified as Fleur, asked curiously.

“I’m Wei Wuxian and to answer your question, I was in a battle just before I ended up on the floor of that room. It’s why I was so badly injured.” Wei Ying answered honestly before closing his eyes and sending out a silent prayer for his little radish’s safety.

“You’ve had to fight for your life?” Fleur said, looking at him in shock. Wei Ying didn’t answer as the cannon calling for her turn fired at that moment and she had to leave. Wei Ying felt slightly guilty for dropping that on her right before her turn but in his defence, he had never been able to choose his timing well.

“You’re older than us, aren’t you?” The surly boy asked suddenly, as though the previous topic hadn’t been Wei Ying’s near-death experience.

“I guess so? I mean I’m twenty-two but don’t think that puts me at an advantage. I had almost no memory of what you call magic before I was summoned here.”

The boy looked at Wei Ying in surprise. “Truly?”

Wei Ying just nodded then turned his attention away from the boy. He wanted to meditate a little more before walking out to face his dragon. If he was honest with himself he was a little worried about facing a mythical creature, even if his task wasn’t to try to kill it. Put him on a night hunt with new disciples and he was fine. Throw him into a battleground and he dealt with it as best he could. But make him face a mythical creature? That was a little out of his range of experience; the Xuanwu he and Lan Zhan had faced together didn’t count. A) It was a false one and b) he’d had Lan Zhan with him at the time!

He was so busy concentrating on his meditation that he almost jumped when the cannon went off for the third time, marking the start of the task for the boy that was meant to have his turn before him. Wei Ying sighed knowing he should try and concentrate on the task before him. He also knew it was probably useless so instead, he let his body fall into the familiar motions of the unarmed skills he had been trained in since his adoption into the Jiang family.

Once he had centred himself, he decided to have a closer look at the red model of the serpentine mythical beast he would be facing. Since there were no books in the tent, Wei Ying guessed they learned about these beings in one of the classes. Suddenly Wei Ying gasped. This type of mythical being was one that had a standard agreement with cultivators! Sure they were almost never seen due to how rare it was to find one willing to work with a cultivator and as such spirit dogs were more common but there was no mistake about the being he would be facing. Hopefully, the agreement was still in place in this time period but before he could make anything resembling a true plan, his turn was announced with the standard cannon blast.

Walking in, he could see the Dragon he was facing, straining to reach her nest and roaring angrily. Channelling a small amount of qi to his ears, the roars slowly formed themselves into words even he didn't have a thick enough face to say. Thinking about the old manuscript he had once read, he quickly channelled a second small amount of qi to his throat and spoke calmly.

“Your Excellency, if this one could be so bold as to approach you, this one could try to release you from your bonds so that you may be able to check over your brood.”

Wei Ying bowed as low as he dared as he spoke and hoped it worked. With his focus completely on the dragon in front of him, he failed to notice the silence that fell over the watching crowd when he made no move to do anything except speak. A few people in the crowd started sniggering, but even they fell silent when the dragon stopped roaring and faced the human in the arena with her. The possibility that dragons were sentient crossed the minds of several adults before being dismissed out of hand. If dragons were sentient they would have to rethink their use of multiple dragon products along with how dragons were cared for, something they simply didn’t care for. 

“And why should I trust you?” The dragon hissed at Wei Ying.

“I realise this cultivator has given you no reason to trust him, however, this one stands before you unarmed barring a dizi and some blank talismans with which to defend himself. This one begs Your Grace to remember the old agreements between Cultivators and ones such as yourself so that this one may complete the task given to him by those too blinded by ignorance. In return, this one promises to do his best to return Your Grace to her rightful home.”

“My rightful home was destroyed long ago by the blind fools with sticks of pain.” The dragon hissed back before softening her tone. “This one knows of the accord and would be grateful if the young cultivator would free her from these chains so she may check on her hatchlings.”

Wei Ying straightened from his bow and slowly approached her to check the chain that was holding her to the wall of the arena. Seeing that it had a weakened link, he quickly used a qi blast to shatter the link, freeing her before he moved out of her way. It was only when he heard her whine softly that he approached her again, kneeling respectfully next to the nest.

“Your Excellency?” He queried quietly.

“While most of my young will survive thanks to you, one is doubtful to make it through the night. The false egg is just annoying, this one is guessing your task was to retrieve the false egg?” She answered in a mournful hiss.

“Yes, your Grace. Is there nothing that can be done to help your weakened child?” Wei Ying asked just as quietly, still unaware of the impact his behaviour was having on the watching crowd.

“Nothing, I’m afraid.” She huffed slightly in a version of a sigh before fixing an eye on the young cultivator who had been so respectful to her. “You may have her egg. While I don’t think she will survive you might find some use for the egg itself.” Her tone was decisive as she spoke and she further backed up her words by pushing the golden egg and the egg she was referring to towards him. 

“This one thanks Her Grace for her generosity and will do his best to treasure her gift to him.” Wei Ying said as he stood then bowed low to her before picking up both eggs, cradling the true egg carefully even as he tucked the golden egg under his arm. 

“Go well young cultivator, and know my blessing travels with you no matter when you are.” Her sibilant voice followed him as he slowly made his way to the arena exit. Wei Ying smiled slightly as he nodded then slowly cut the connection of qi that he had been sending to his ears and throat with a small grimace. One thing the old manuscript hadn’t mentioned was the little fact that maintaining the connection of qi hurt once it was removed. Sighing, Wei Ying sent his qi back to the affected areas but this time he used it to heal the damage caused by the modifications he had made. 

Wei Ying looked up just as he reached the exit, only to see a group of ten wizards ready to charge in and restrain the dragoness again. 

“Don’t!” He called, which seemed to confuse them.

“She has to heat her nest again as you lot have already just about killed one of her eggs, she doesn’t want you killing the rest of them. Just leave her there, she will follow you back once she has assured herself of their survival.” Wei Ying said with a smile.

“How do you know?” the only redhead in the group demanded curiously.

“Cultivators, like myself, and her species have a long-standing agreement to not harm one another. She knows I won’t let anything hurt her as a result of this agreement.”

“And what of the egg you are holding?” another asked, his voice dripping with disdain. “It’s illegal to own a dragon and you’ve just stolen an egg in front of multiple witnesses.” 

“I did not steal the egg, it was given to me as a sign of renewed friendship. The dragonette inside this egg is not expected to survive the night. The dragon in the arena grieves for the loss but knows her eggs are precious to my people as they are prized for their magnificent colours. In all honesty, I’m just as aggrieved by the loss of the life of this hatchling, she didn’t even get the chance to live before your carelessness killed her.”

The crowd gasped, having heard every word thanks to the charms that covered the arena. Sure, all they had heard during the task was a whole lot of hissing they had taken to be a variation of Parseltongue. They had all been a little scared when the fourth champion had started hissing after all not much was known about him. The Goblins had released a statement saying that he was Harry Potter, their long lost saviour, but that he didn’t know about the magical world. Appearing out of nowhere just for a competition made it seem like he was a glory hound, yet the state he had been in started to point to a different theory which him being a parselmouth seemed to support. Then, he reveals a prodigious skill with dragons by not raising a single weapon or casting a single spell as far as they could see. Just who was the man in black?

***

By the time the scores had been given and all the champions had been checked over for injuries, Wei Ying was ready to collapse for the day. While he was used to a highly demanding training regime, the stress the cannon blasts had caused coupled with facing a mythical creature, a dragon of all things, had drained his energy reserves faster than anything he had ever experienced before. He was also confused as to when and how humans had lost the ability to work with Spiritual animals that were not cats, toads or owls. He’d seen plenty of those around the castle so he knew people were still able to form those bonds yet the use of spiritual dogs or other animals seemed to have been lost. Not that he was complaining about the loss of spirit dogs mind you, they were evil creatures!

Sadly, he was not allowed to sleep as the four of them were ushered into the tent they started the day in and were told the gold egg they had retrieved was their clue for the next task. His attention was about to wander when he blinked and a man in eye-watering robes was facing him.

“Now, Mr Potter, as I’m sure you remember from your confrontation with the dragon handlers, owning a dragon is illegal so I’m going to have to ask you to hand over the egg.” Wei Ying sighed heavily.

“Firstly, the name you should be using for me is Wei Wuxian. Secondly, her mother entrusted her keeping to me and I will not be handing her off to anyone, regardless of any laws you throw at me. I know nothing about your laws other than what I have been taught in the past week, however, if one is entrusted with another's child one looks after that child to the best of their ability, do they not? I will not be handing this hatchling over to anyone.” Wei Ying stated calmly, having to smother his instinctive smile at the sight of the man purpling in rage. He was too good at making people angry, wasn’t he?

“But-”

“No but’s, sir. I will not be handing this young one over to anyone.”

The officials that had come to try and force the issue scowled.

“You have some nerve-” 

“Of course, I’ve got some nerve! I just faced a nesting dragon for a competition I have no interest in at the behest of people I don’t know or trust. I am in a time period and place I have no knowledge of, away from everyone and everything I have ever known. If I didn’t have the nerve to stand up for myself I would be walked over in minutes- or worse killed. You are trying to treat me like I’m a child when the fact remains that I am twenty-two. I have fought in a war, taken lives and was helping care for a child who might or might not survive due to your summoning me before I could see to his safety! 

Faces paled at Wei Ying’s rant. They hadn’t thought about what the Goblet had summoned him away from, nor had they thought about what he could have left behind.

Wei Ying took a deep breath to calm himself down and frowned. His qi had started to circulate through the egg in his arms while he ranted at the people in front of him. The loss of control told him just how distracted he had been and how unstable the new core still was.

“What the?” He muttered to himself, then closed his eyes to sort out what he was feeling. The hatchling inside the egg was as far from dead as the people standing in front of him, but how was that possible? The mother had examined the egg herself, she wouldn’t have made that kind of mistake. Slowly, Wei Ying sent another tendril of qi into the egg and smiled slightly as he felt the developing hatchling latch onto it and use it to strengthen herself. 

“So that’s what happened!” Wei Ying thought happily. 

The wizards watching him exchanged looks. 

“Um, Mr Wuxian?”

“Not Mr Wuxian, Wei Wuxian. If you need to give me a title it’s Young Master Wei. Wuxian is my courtesy name, not my family name.” Wei Ying corrected absently, his attention still on the egg in his arms. A couple more experiments with qi showed him he’d need to give his little one a small yet constant stream of qi for the rest of the day if she was to get enough strength to hatch, but that was doable if he was careful. He noticed he would also need to provide her with qi at least once a day until she hatched in order for her to maintain that strength.

“Oh, right.” the official said nonplused. “Young Master Wei, what were you referring to when you muttered earlier.”

“Nothing you need to concern yourself with,” Wei Ying replied with a cheery smile, his attention still focused on the egg in his arms. 

Before they could make more of a scene, Madam Pomfrey walked over.

“Wei Wuxian.”

“Yes, Madam Pomfrey?”

“Since you’ve been healed as much as physically possible, you can’t return to the infirmary in Gringotts. As a result, you will be staying in the rooms attached to mine as my apprentice until the tournament is over. They have been set up with a more eastern theme so I hope you’ll be more at ease there. I’ll catch you up on as much as I can when I don’t have any patients to attend to. When I am needed as a nurse, you may assist me once I have you up to the appropriate level to do so. Is this acceptable?”

“That’s fine, please lead the way. If I’m being honest I’m more than a little tired at the moment and considering what I have just discovered, I am unlikely to be able to rest properly for the rest of the day so being in one place would be the next best thing.” Wei Ying said with a relieved smile aimed at the stern school nurse. 

“Follow me, we can discuss the rest of your magical education when you are feeling a little more up to it.” Madam Pomfrey said briskly as she started to walk away which had Wei Ying jogging after her like a duckling just to keep up.

Chapter Text

Adjusting to living in the living castle was easier than Wei Ying had expected it to be and he soon fell into a comfortable routine. He didn’t have to keep Gusu hours, but he did have to be up early so that he could have a decent breakfast in the great hall before returning to the infirmary for a day of lessons with Madam Pomfrey. These lessons were sometimes interrupted by a student or member of the faculty needing medical care. When this happened, Madam Pomfrey inevitably turned it into a practical lesson on healing. On the weekends, Professors Flitwick and McGonagall generously helped get him up to speed on Charms and Transfiguration. Wei Ying’s evenings remained the same no matter what the day was though, with him dedicating an hour to channelling his qi through the dragon egg and two hours before he slept in meditation to strengthen his golden core again. 

Despite working hard to complete as much of his magical education as he could, Wei Ying refused to let his cultivation fall by the wayside. As such, he made use of what space he had in his room to install a desk and when he had the time to work on his multiple ideas for talismans and arrays. When he noticed he was hitting a dead end, he had asked one of the house-elves about a space where he could blow off some steam and test some of the talismans he had safely. As a result, he was told about the room of requirement. The room soon became one of the few things that let him remain sane when he felt the pressures building up to an intolerable level. It provided him with a practice Jian while his core was still too weak for a proper spirit weapon, and when his core was strong enough it provided him with a copy of his precious Suibian.

It was perhaps due to how busy he was that when he started getting asked what his plans for the Yule Ball were, he could honestly say he had no plans at all. When pressured about the subject further, Wei Ying had admitted he had never heard of Yule and as such, had never thought about it. The whispers that had spread through the great hall that morning had a consequence he would have never have foreseen. He had just returned from training in the room of requirement when Fleur walked into the infirmary. At first Wei Ying didn’t take much notice as Madam Pomfrey normally called him if he was needed, however, he did take notice when Fleur called out to him.

“Young Master Wei?”

Wei Ying turned to her as she spoke, “Miss Fleur, can I help you with something?” He asked formally. She smiled.

“Just Fleur please, Young Master Wei.”

“Alright, Fleur. Please call me Wuxian then. Is there something I can help you with?”

“I was wondering what your plans were for the Yule Ball? I mean as a champion you have to attend, at least for the opening dances…” Fleur trailed off as Wei Ying groaned.

“This is going to be painful to admit, but I didn’t know I needed to attend at all until you mentioned it. I suppose this means I need a dance partner which would explain why I keep getting asked about the ball in the first place.” Fleur giggled at Wei Ying’s obvious distaste at the idea as well as his obliviousness. 

“I take it you haven’t got a partner in mind then?” Fleur confirmed.

“I don’t.” Wei Ying assured the girl.

“If I might be so bold, I could offer a solution to that. If you want that is” Fleur said, suddenly looking shy.

“Please do,” Wei Ying said gratefully.

“I suggest we go to the ball together. You see, while I have been asked by numerous people, they are all under the effect of my allure to a certain extent, which I find makes things awkward.” Wei Ying looked at Fleur in confusion.

“Your allure? I’m afraid I’m not sure what you mean.” Fleur looked at Wei Ying in shock.

“I am part Veela. Veela have the ability to hypnotise people who are attracted to women. Generally, the only ones unaffected are those that are highly devoted to their partner or those that are not attracted to women in any way.” 

Wei Ying cocked his head to one side before he spoke. “While I can easily admit you are beautiful, I do not feel the urge to throw myself at you in any way if that’s what you mean by ‘effect by your allure.’ The problem is I am neither in a relationship nor am I uninterested in women. My brother can attest to that.” 

Fleur laughed. “A flirt, are you?”

“Unashamedly so!” Wei Ying agreed in equal humour.

“Well, you don’t have to be in a relationship to be devoted to someone. The easiest way to tell is for me to ask you this, in a life or death situation who is the one person you know you would be able to rely on to have your back? Are you related to them? If not how would you react if their life was threatened in any way? And finally, would you live for them?” Fleur watched Wei Ying as she asked each question and was amused to see the dawning realisation appear in his eyes. 

“Why do you ask if I’d live for them? Isn’t the question normally if you would die for them?” Wei Ying asked in a last-ditch effort to avoid thinking about the answer to her questions.

“Normally, yes. However, dying is easy. Living, on the other hand, is much harder.” Fleur said gently. Wei Ying closed his eyes and let his head flop backwards as he dragged a hand over his face.

“There is someone, isn’t there?” Wei Ying nodded.

“I don’t know if he returns my feelings or not and to be honest I think I need time to properly examine my own. Either way, there is not much I can do about them now, so back to your original suggestion about the ball, I would be honoured to go with you. There are just two problems with that.” Wei Ying said in resignation before his voice turned sheepish.

“Oh? And what would those problems be?” Fleur said with a smile.

“First, I have no idea how to dance any of the dances from here as I’m sure those from where I’m from are very different. And secondly, I have nothing appropriate for a ball!” Wei Ying’s first statement was said seriously, however his second was said with such a dramatic wail, Fleur couldn’t stop the laughter that spilt out of her. 

Since Fleur had a couple of other things to do that evening, she left after they agreed to meet up on the next Hogsmeade weekend to go shopping for an appropriate outfit for the ball. He had warned her that he might not spend the whole evening with her as he suspected the dragon's egg might hatch around that time, and Fleur had assured him she didn’t mind. It was only as he was sitting in the Room of Requirement with both eggs in a recreation of his room in Lotus Pier that he allowed himself to think about the afternoon’s realisation. 

When Fleur had asked her questions the first person to come to mind for each question was Lan Zhan. Wei Ying wasn’t sure what to make of it. He had never thought of himself as a cut-sleeve. There again, he had never thought he’d have to resort to demonic cultivation. He’d never thought he’d give his core to his brother, nor had he thought he’d be thrown through time. If he was brutally honest with himself, his life wasn’t what he’d expected it to be at all.

Wei Ying sighed as he placed his dragon’s egg into the small portable ‘hotpot’ he had created for it. He knew from doing an excessive amount of reading that dragon eggs needed to be kept at a certain temperature in order to hatch. Since he wasn’t too fond of the idea of having fire around all his talismans, he had asked the dour potions master for an older, clean, unused or unusable due to flaws, cauldron and slapped so many heating talismans into it as he’d dared. He knew they would only last for a limited time so he had then created a talisman he would only need to replace once a week until his little dragon hatched. He had placed that into the cauldron as well and had smiled when, upon doing the normal qi supply that night, there had been a marked improvement in her development.

Wei Ying stretched as he stood. While he knew it wasn’t real, he really wanted to go for a quick swim before heading down to the great hall for the evening meal. With this in mind, he absently made his way to the water’s edge only to realise he had picked up the golden egg for some unknown realisation. Shaking his head, Wei Ying carefully put the egg down on the bank and slowly waded into the water. After swimming for about twenty minutes Wei Ying turned to stare back at the bank only to stare in horror. The golden egg was gone. There was only a trail showing him that the egg had simply rolled into the water at some stage. Using the trail as a guide, Wei Ying was quickly able to find the egg in the water. Duck-diving down, Wei Ying was able to get his hands on the egg only to freeze when it opened and a song filled the water. 

Wei Ying listened to the song a couple of times, swimming to the surface every so often for air, then decided he needed to think. Quickly, he made his way to the water's edge. After he dried himself off, he got dressed and headed to the hospital wing with both eggs. Arriving at his room, he flopped down at his desk to write out the lyrics from the song, then dove into the piles of books scattered around his desk. Soon, Wei Ying was lost in a world of research into water creatures he was likely to find within the Black Lake. He then decided to err on the side of caution and find out how deep the lake was, just in case he had to dive to the bottom of it. He knew he would have to limit how much time he spent at the bottom and that he’d have to have several talismans activated if he didn’t want to make himself very sick or even kill himself by surfacing too quickly.

Wei Ying was so deep into his research he didn’t notice the time until a voice spoke from the doorway.

“Is this a regular thing with you when you get into research mode?” Wei Ying jumped then whipped his head up to see Professors Flitwick and Snape in the doorway.

“I beg your pardon, professors?” Wei Ying choked out while trying to calm his heart down.

“You missed the evening meal where the order of events was announced for the Yule Ball so I decided to check on you,” Professor Flitwick explained. “What has made you so distracted?”

“Sorry, Professors.” Wei Ying said apologetically. “My sisters normally stop me when I get like this. I accidentally figured out the second task's clue and was promptly distracted by research. Admittedly, when this happens it’s normally because I’m on an inventing streak…” He trailed off feeling very sheepish. 

Snape’s eyebrows were raised as he listened to Wei Ying’s rather embarrassed babbling. 

“Does this happen often?” he drawled.

“Mainly when I don’t want to think about something so I bury my problems in a mental noise.” Wei Ying admitted. “So yes, fairly regularly. I guess it’s a byproduct of living through the Sunshot Campaign, then the troubles on the Burial Mounds - Where are my manners, please come in.”

Snape and Flitwick walked in while being careful not to step on any of the pages littered across the floor.

“Sunshot Campaign? Burial Mounds? May I ask what you are referring to?” Snape asked cautiously.

“Hmm, oh! The Sunshot Campaign was a war against one of the cultivation sects that decided it wanted to rule over all the others. They started by burning down the Cloud Recesses when they demanded the heirs for indoctrination and the Lan’s refused. They then moved on to Lotus Pier, my home. Anyway, it was after Lotus Pier was burned and Uncle Jiang and Madam Yu were killed that the Nie’s joined in the fight against the Wen’s. To cut a long story short, it was messy and I don’t think I’ve explained it properly.” Wei Ying rambled distractedly which caused his visitors to exchange glances.

“And the Burial Mounds?” Professor Flitwick prompted cautiously. Wei Ying sighed slightly before staring off into the distance.

“Originally the Burial Mounds were hell on earth. A mountain covered in resentful energy due to years of being used as a dumping ground for bodies. After the Sunshot Campaign, one of the Sect’s decided to make sure there were no more people bearing the name Wen left. They started killing those that were within the labour camps among other things. I’d gone for a walk at one stage and found Wen Qing in the market area. She was searching frantically for her brother, who was one of the main reasons my brother and I were still alive at that stage, so I decided to help her.” Wei Ying closed his eyes as the memories started to try to overwhelm him. He took a deep breath before continuing.

“We found her brother alright. He was dead at the bottom of a cliff, beaten to death. When I went to demand answers I was basically told to mind my own business. I lost my temper and stormed out, but not before mouthing off pretty badly. Anyway, I basically kidnapped Wen Qing and roughly fifty other surviving Wens and took them to the Burial Mounds. I purified as much of the energy as I could, but it was still pretty gloomy. We made do though, planting crops for food. Not too long after that, the Sect’s decided that those I had saved were actually just a cover story for an army I was raising, and they laid siege to the Burial Mounds. It took a while, but they managed to get in eventually and killed everyone there.” He broke off again as tears choked him.

“There was no army, we were living as farmers. Most of the people were elderly or women who hadn’t studied cultivation techniques. There was even a child, the only child to survive the massacre of the Sunshot Campaign and its fallout. When I arrived in the great hall thanks to the Goblet, I had been fighting to try and protect that child.” Wei Ying concluded, lowering his head as the tears flowed. Sure he had left a lot out, some of it more important than others, but the two professors didn’t need all the details.

Snape and Flitwick were horrified. The story the young man in front of them had just told them was worse than anything they had ever imagined. 

“That’s why you stay away from most of the students.” Snape breathed as the realisation hit him like a freight train. “We had worried you didn’t want to get too close to anyone as you weren’t sure you would want to return home, but it’s because you do want to return and because you wish to heal that you maintain the distance.” Wei Ying nodded.

“Sorry, I have barely given myself or been given any time to breathe let alone grieve since I got here. The child was a little boy I thought of as my own and despite having access to several texts that would tell me his fate, I dare not read them.” Wei Ying looked at the two professors, “Once this tournament is done, I need to return home. I’ve asked for my mother’s notes and a copy of the array so that I may study them and adjust them to fit my needs.”

“Lily probably used ancient runes as that was one of her passions. Do you have any ancient runes textbooks or can you read ancient runes?” Snape asked gently.

“That pile over there are ancient runes textbooks. I’ve been reading up on them since the goblins told me how I ended up being sent to the time period I was sent to.” Wei Ying admitted with a watery smile. “Due to the tournament, I haven’t really had the chance to look at her work yet. Sure I’m using a time turner to fit everything I need to get done into a day but I don’t want to overuse it.”

Flitwick nodded understandingly. Hadn’t Miss Granger learned the hard way that there were consequences to misusing a time turner? It seemed the young man in front of them knew to use common sense, at least!

“Where are my manners?” Wei Ying burst out suddenly. “Would the professors like something to eat or drink?”

Both men laughed. “We were coming to ask if you’d eaten in the first place,” Flitwick admitted. No sooner had they spoken, a house-elf arrived with four trays. 

“None of yous be’s eating supper! Heady elfy very upset about it! One tray each,” it scolded before popping away with a huff and an indignant mutter of “ Wizards!”

The three wizards looked at each other and chuckled before looking down at their plates. Snape and Flitwick had what looked to be roast beef or lamb with vegetables and a slice of apple pie for dessert. Wei Ying on the other hand had Sichuan Pork with a pot of chilli oil off to one side. His dessert was a couple of red bean buns, although both the British wizards thought they were chocolate when they first looked at them. The other big difference was he had been given chopsticks rather than a knife and fork.

Wei Ying smiled. He had tried to eat the more traditional English foods when he had first arrived, but he had discovered it left him feeling sluggish. Sure it was very tasty and definitely something he enjoyed every now and then, but he had discovered the house-elves loved trying new recipes and had been overjoyed when Wei Ying had admitted he loved spice to the point of bringing others to tears. 

Flitwick and Snape eyed Wei Ying’s tray wearily, something that Wei Ying noticed with a smile.

“I grew up in an area famous for spicy foods. As such, I love my food so spicy, everyone else struggles to eat it. The house-elves have taken to trying to test my limits, but they have also noticed that sometimes, despite them thinking the meal is inedible because it’s so hot, I still add extra chilli. They leave a pot of chilli oil for me as a matter of habit.” 

“A little taste of home for you?” Flitwick asked with a smile.

“In a way. There are some similarities. None of the meals I get here are like the ones from home. I guess in some ways it could be the memories attached, but I think it’s more to do with how everything changes over time. Take the chilli oil for example. The chillies used for this pot could be from the same variety, however, the way they were grown could be slightly different; the soil won’t be the same and even the water would have been different. There are so many things that can change over the years that there is no way they could taste the same, even if they were made with the exact same recipe.” 

The two men were quiet for a bit before Snape nodded.

“That makes sense. You have the same problem with potions. The same recipe made by the same brewer could come out differently depending on where it was made due to the water not being the same or the ingredients being slightly older or fresher.” He said thoughtfully.

“Is there anything we could do to help you?” Flitwick asked. Wei Ying smiled as he got up to make the tea that had thoughtfully been left for them on the fourth tray. Even after they had finished their meals, they continued speaking.

“Not at the moment but I won’t hesitate to ask should I need it.”

They spent the rest of the evening conversing about some of the things Wei Ying had been studying. By the time the two professors decided to return to their quarters, they left Wei Ying with his thoughts as he circulated qi through the dragon egg.

***

Wei Ying’s thoughts were complete chaos in the lead-up to the Yule Ball. When he wasn’t busy studying, Wei Ying had thrown himself wholeheartedly into trying to make sure he didn’t embarrass Fleur at the Ball. Saturdays and Sundays were often dedicated to hours upon hours of dance practice, the same way he used to run his sword drills. Fleur wasn’t too proud to admit she felt grateful to Wei Ying for that alone!

When he found himself with spare time, Wei Ying would often find himself thinking about two things: the first was who the tournament organisers would use as his hostage during the second task. Ironically, this related to his second most common ponderance: that of just how he felt towards Lan Zhan. Logically he knew if Lan Zhan was here he would be the one used as his hostage. Wei Ying wasn’t sure how healthy that was, but at the same time, he couldn’t get the soothing smell of sandalwood he often smelled on Lan Zhan out of his head.

A knock on the door leading into his room caused him to look up. 

“Oh, Madam Pomfrey, was there something I forgot to do today that was needed?” Wei Ying asked sheepishly.

“Not at all, Wuxian. The headmaster thought you might like to meet your godfather while you are here.” Madam Pomfrey replied wryly. “I think he is hoping that if you find family here, you might be encouraged to stay here after the end of the tournament.”

Wei Ying rolled his eyes. “Not going to happen. Sure, it’s nice here, but my heart is with the little family I have left. A-Yuan…” Wei Ying turned to look out the window, tears gathering in his eyes as he thought about his little radish. Logically he knew A-Yuan was probably dead but he couldn’t help hoping someone had searched the Burial Mounds after his death and found the child. It would be better if A-Yuan was being treated as the person who found him’s child but Wei Ying would settle for A-Yuan being alive at all.

Madam Pomfrey smiled. “I’m sure he’s fine.” 

Wei Ying nodded absently as he reigned in his emotions.

“Anyway, this man is your Godfather, Sirius Black, and with him is his best friend, Remus Lupin.” She half waved to the men standing slightly behind her and Wei Ying bowed in greeting automatically. 

“No need for that, Pup, you’re family after all!” The man with the tattoos said as he waved his hands in front of his face. “I’m Sirius Black, but your dad called me Padfoot.”

“And his mother called you several less complimentary things.” The man with hair the colour of sand quipped before he turned to face Wei Ying. “I’m Remus Lupin, though my friends call me Moony.”

“Pleasure to meet you. As you probably know I’m Wei Ying courtesy name Wuxian. As you are family, please call me Wuxian. Would you like to come in and have something to drink?” Wei Ying suddenly looked around sheepishly. “Just please excuse the mess!”

Sirius and Remus looked at each other before smiling.

“Your mother was the same way whenever she was busy researching something and your father wasn’t much better, even with everyday things. That is to say, we’ve seen worse!” Sirius babbled.

Wei Ying laughed as he made a space for the tea tray that a diligent house-elf had dropped off, gesturing for them to find a seat as he did so. Tea sorted, Wei Ying sat on the floor leaning bonelessly against his desk with a smile.

“So how can I help you, gentlemen?”

“We were hoping to get to know each other,” Remus admitted. Wei Ying looked at him then rubbed his nose briefly.

“You mean Dumbledore wants us to get to know each other, correct?” Wei Ying’s wry question was met with a guilty silence.“Look, I don’t mind getting to know you, just please don’t lie to me. Please keep in mind I don’t plan on staying after the tournament is over. I have responsibilities at home that I can’t ignore.”

“Is it all just responsibilities or is there someone, in particular, you want to return to?” Sirius said with a sly smile. Wei Ying choked on the sip of tea he had just taken which caused Sirius to let out a bark-like laugh.

“Ah, so there is someone! What’s she like? Is she pretty? Clever? Witty?” Sirius asked in a rapid-fire.

“Behave, Pads,” Remus sighed. “You don’t have to answer Ha—Wuxian.”

Wei Ying covered his face and squirmed before taking a deep breath.

“Firstly, I just want to say I have no idea if he feels the same way about me as I feel about him. Secondly, yes he’s a guy. I was pretty surprised about being attracted to a man when it was pointed out to me that I had feelings for someone, to begin with. As for the rest of your questions, yes he is pretty, highly intelligent and he can be funny when he wants to be. You just have to know him well enough to read him to pick up on his sense of humour. He doesn’t say much but still…” 

Remus and Sirius smiled wistfully as they listened to Wei Ying. They could tell he was being sincere about his feelings because he got the same look on his face as James always did when he spoke about Lily.

“Who pointed it out to you?” Remus asked curiously.

“Fleur did. She suggested we go to the Yule Ball together as I didn’t become a bumbling idiot around her, and when I asked her for clarification, she explained about the whole ‘allure’ thing. She was surprised I hadn’t been aware of my feelings, but, in my defence, I hadn’t had the time to sit and examine them properly in…I don’t know how long.”

Sirius laughed as he turned to Remus. “Definitely a good mix of James and Lily!”

“Sooo, to change the subject, where do your nicknames come from?” Wei Ying asked, in an attempt to deflect the attention off of himself. It worked, but it also made both of his guests shift nervously.

“Well…you see…um…” Remus started. Sirius sighed.

“Remus is a werewolf, and we became Animagi to help him through the nights of the full moon,” Sirius said in a rush, as though he thought saying it quickly would make it easier.

“Oh, okay, cool. I’m guessing that’s where the ‘moon’ part of your name comes from, though it does make the rest of your name sound a little ironic.” 

Remus smiled a little and nodded.

“As for ‘Padfoot’, I’m guessing it’s some sort of animal that has pads on the bottom of it’s—” Wei Ying cut himself off with a shriek as he dived behind his low desk and scrambled to get away from the dog that had replaced his godfather. Seeing that he couldn’t get any further away, Wei Ying curled himself into a ball with a whimper. 

Before either of the Marauders could react, the door slammed open and Madam Pomfrey barged in. She had a calming draught in one hand and her wand in her other.

“What happened?” she demanded, even as she made her way over to Wei Ying.

“We got talking about why we have our nicknames and Padfoot here played his normal joke of shifting, to explain the name, and the next thing we know…” Remus gestured to the cowering Wei Ying.

Madam Pomfrey sighed. “When we healed him after he had just arrived we noticed a number of scars from dog bites on his skin.” She explained as she coaxed Wei Ying into drinking the calming draught. “When we asked him about them he said he’d spent a couple of years living on the streets between when his adopted parents died and his uncle found him. He occasionally had to fight to keep his food so he freaks out whenever he sees them .” She refused to say the word dogs again after she saw the calming draught had taken effect.

“I’m sorry,” Sirius said softly as he crouched down next to his godson. “I’ve pulled that prank so often, I didn’t think of how it might affect you.”

“It’s alright,” Wei Ying replied, his eyes slightly glazed as he came down from his panic attack with the help of the draught. “I’m used to people knowing about my fear of dogs so I didn’t think to warn you.”

Remus and Sirius decided it would be best for them to leave shortly after it was clear Wei Ying needed time to recover. They agreed they would meet up at least once a week to at least get to know each other.

Chapter Text

It was the night of the ball and Wei Ying was nervous. Not only did he have to open the ball with Fleur but his dragon egg was showing signs that tonight would be the night that it would hatch. He had been exchanging letters with Charlie Weasley and Newt Scamander so he would be able to provide adequate care for her, but the worry was still there. What if she hatched while he was at the ball? What if he made a fool of Fleur by tripping over her at the dance? His worries mounted. Eventually, Wei Ying decided that worrying wouldn’t help anything, so he would meet anything that came at him head-on.

It didn’t take long for him to get ready for the ball as he had chosen to wear robes similar to those he had grown up wearing for special occasions. The main difference was they were black with red accents, rather than the purple tones of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect. He had done his hair in the same style he had worn for most of his time in the Burial Mounds as he knew it was a quick and easy style yet looked more sophisticated than the simple updo from his teenage years. Fleur had approved the look, saying it matched her silver dress without trying to outshine her.

The first dance had gone well and, before Wei Ying knew it, half the night had vanished in a blur of moving figures and small talk. He had danced with Fleur for the most part but had made sure to dance with a couple of her friends and the girls from Hogwarts to try to keep everyone happy. He had just finished a Waltz with Fleur when a red talisman flew into the room causing everyone to stop and stare as he plucked it from the air.

“Nothing to worry about,” Wei Ying called cheerfully. “It’s just an alarm talisman to alert me when an experiment I was conducting was completed.” Fleur looked at Wei Ying and raised an eyebrow.

“You are welcome to see tomorrow, but I need to be the only room for the first little while in case something goes wrong if that’s alright?” Wei Ying asked. Fleur nodded in understanding and Wei Ying quickly made his way to his room.

Wei Ying entered his room and quickly moved the egg from the specially created hotpot to an improvised nest situated next to his desk. The egg wobbled for a moment as cracking sounds emanated from within the shell. Barely a minute passed before Wei Ying had to dodge as shards of the shell flew in every direction revealing a slimy yet beautiful pale blue and greyish white dragon with a dark blue cloud-like pattern trailing over her body. Wei Ying quickly sent some qi to his ears and throat and let out a low rumble of reassurance to calm the dragonette down. She quickly turned to fix her yellow eyes onto his and chirped curiously. 

Wei Ying quickly placed a couple of diced pieces of meat in her line of sight and fought the urge to coo as she gobbled them down. Having eaten her fill she turned to look at Wei Ying again who picked her up in a towel and gently rubbed her down which had her purring happily. Soon Wei Ying found himself leaning back against the wall as the dragonette curled up on his lap. 

“I suppose I need to name you little one.” Wei Ying murmured to the sleeping dragonette. “You remind me of Gusu with your colouring and the clouds that make up your markings but I don’t think you would suit any names that would link you to Gusu.”

A small snort of smoke floated up to his face in response to his musings which made him chuckle. 

“You agree with me on that then. Hmm, what do you think of Fenfang (the fragrance of flowers, herbs, etc.) ?”

A puff of smoke met his suggestion.

“Well, that’s a no. Hmm, how about Dongmei (younger sister east or, winter plums.) ?”

There was another puff of smoke. Wei Ying laughed.

“Alright, does Chunhua ( spring flowers) appeal to you then? I’d probably call you A-Hua on most days.” A purr reached Wei Ying’s ears which had him smiling happily.

“A-Hua it is then.” 

***

Wei Ying walked into the Great Hall with A-Hua around his neck the next morning. He’d tried to leave her in his room when he went down to get breakfast, but she had made a huge fuss. He’d soon given up and let her drape herself around his neck like a scarf. At first, no one noticed, but when A-Hua lifted her head Wei Ying heard several people gasp.

“Is that…”

“A dragon?”

Whispers broke out around the hall as people asked what had happened and were told about the tiny dragon head rising off of Wei Ying’s shoulder.

“It finally hatched!” Fleur exclaimed happily. “Is that what your alarm was for last night?”

Wei Ying nodded happily. “Fleur, I’d like you to meet my most recently acquired child, Chunhua. A-Hua, this is a friend of mine, Fleur.” The hatchling chirped happily at Fleur before looking at Wei Ying, chirping a second time and causing Wei Ying to laugh. “Alright, I get it. You’re hungry, let's find you some food, little flame.”

Finding his way to one of the tables, Wei Ying soon found his plate changed to a bowl filled with congee and a pot of spice sitting nearby. A plate of neatly chopped pieces of meat sat to his left causing A-Hua to scurry down Wei Ying’s arm to get to it. Wei Ying also noticed a small pot of lotus tea sitting next to a cup which made him smile softly as a wave of nostalgia hit him. He was brought back to the present by A-Hua nosing his congee curiously, after finishing her own meal.

“No, Baobei, this is mine. I promise you won’t like it.” He said to her in a fond tone. He let her try a tiny bit out of his bowl anyway, which had turned red from all the spice he had added to it. He chuckled as she gave him an affronted look once she’d tasted it. “Told you!”

“What did you call it? And why doesn’t it look like the Fireball you faced?” a nearby student asked curiously.

“I called her Baobei, which means treasure. Mothers generally use it as a term of endearment when referring to their children. A-Hua hatched because she latched onto my magic during the first task, hence why she is a different colour to most Chinese Fireball dragons.” Wei Ying explained, carefully omitting that it wasn’t his magic but his qi that had been latched onto. He had figured out that that’s why his eyes were silver, and not green as everyone had expected. When a magic-user was exposed to enough qi to start using it, the nature of the two energies would clash and cause colours to change. Since it applied to humans, who's to say it couldn’t apply to magical creatures, too?

“Young master Wei, what do you plan on doing with her egg now that she’s hatched?” a voice asked.

“I’ve collected all the pieces together and have placed them in a safe place for now. I’ll figure out what to do with it later.” Wei Ying replied absently as he stroked A-Hua’s scales gently, causing her to purr. “I might see if I can rebuild the egg and glue it together just as an exercise. Or I might grind it into medicine for her should she need it when she gets sick. I say when not if, as it is something that is bound to happen to everything at some stage or another.” 

The inhabitants of Hogwarts soon got used to the show that regularly arrived at breakfast. As A-Hua grew, their show seemed to take on new elements. Newt Scamander also became a familiar face within the Great Halls since he came to observe A-Hua’s growth. It became a common sight to see Wei Ying with his head bowed in conversation with the Magizoologist as the two men bounced ideas of how to keep A-Hua safe. In the end, they decided to keep the dragon tethered with a simple red cloth collar which would be tied with a silk cord. The material of the colour itself was embroidered with so many runes and symbols it was practically as impervious as A-Hua’s scales.

While Wei Ying knew A-Hua would be safe from most of the spells wizards could throw at her, he couldn’t help but worry about how spells made of qi would affect her. As a result, the collar he and Newt had carefully created for A-Hua would help to repel any spells meant to harm the dragon in any way, shape or form. While it wouldn’t limit any of A-Hua’s movements, it did allow Wei Ying to keep track of where she was and if she was in any danger. It would also protect her against weapons should she face any in the future.

***

“So,” Fleur started, “have you made any progress on your clue?”

Wei Ying smiled up at her from where he was lying on his back watching A-Hua test the strength of her wings. “Is this your way of asking for a hint?” 

“Nope! I’ve solved it but I want to make sure you have too.”

“I’ve solved all of it but who they will take as my hostage. Had I been at home, there would be four options as to who they would take. My martial brother, my martial nephew, my son A-Yuan, or Lan Zhan. It’s only thanks to your questions that I realized how I felt about Lan Zhan, by the way. We had called each other soulmates at one point, but, to be honest, I don’t know if it’s romantic or simply platonic on his side,” Wei Ying explained before sighing. If he was honest with himself, he was worried about what he would be returning to. He had figured out how his mother’s runic array worked and how to recreate it. The problem would be powering it at this stage, and taking all his things with him, he supposed. A hand waved in front of his face suddenly.

“Huh?”

“You spaced out on me, Wei Wuxian. What captured your attention?” 

“The future, I guess. I need to sort out a few things, like this tournament, before I head home. I guess I’m nervous but excited to head back.”

Fleur looked at him. “I think I understand. It’s your home and you feel like you have responsibilities there, but since you also mentioned a war, I’m guessing things happened that weren’t so great.”

“Yeah. I gave up something for my martial brother, but he doesn’t know. He and the rest of the cultivation world think I chose to abandon the way of the sword out of arrogance, not out of sacrifice. It has caused so many problems but if I hadn’t, so many more innocent people would have died. Not that I managed to save the few that were with me in the end.” Wei Ying said, his voice dropping an octave as he tried to choke back his words even as a couple of silent tears trailed down his face. 

Fleur looked at him sadly. She would have loved to be able to help him, but she knew what he needed most was his family. As much as the wizarding world could claim they were his family, it was clear to her that his feelings were unrequited.

“Could you play or sing something for me?” She asked quietly, trying to distract him. Wei Ying sat up slightly and pulled the pale bamboo dizi from his belt. Placing it to his lips, a hopeful yet melancholy tune was soon echoing across the water. A couple more tears escaped his eyes as he played but he didn’t seem to notice Fleur was entranced.

“What song was that?” she asked in awe when the final notes faded.

“One from a blurry memory.” Wei Ying admitted. “I remember asking Lan Zhan what it was called but I lost consciousness before I could hear his answer.”

Fleur looked at him in surprise. “How often did you hear it to be able to play it like that?”

Wei Ying looked unseeingly into the distance. “I only heard it once. I do that often though: recreate a musical piece after only hearing it once. Madam Yu hated dizi music for some reason, so I could never practice much while I was growing up. My playing is by no means perfect but my memory for music, on the other hand, is something I’ve tried to hone as a way to distract myself.”

Fleur smiled. “You really aren’t what anyone would expect you to be, are you?”

“‘Attempt the impossible.’ That was the motto of the sect I grew up in. I try to live up to it whenever possible despite no longer being part of it. Please don’t ask for more details about it. Oh, and if you do end up looking for more information in the library, please keep this in mind: not everything written is true, not everything remembered is accurate and the way things are perceived are always coloured by our personal bias.” 

“You seem certain you were in the past,” Fleur commented.

“The levels of sophistication, technology and manners of talking all point to me having grown up in the past. I will concede that it is possible I was in an alternate dimension, but something tells me I wasn’t.”

“Is there anyone who could help you know for certain?”

“One person. My mother’s mentor is said to be immortal. If that’s the case she would still be around. However, her residence is unknown and I do not wish to disturb her. If all else fails I could attempt to play Inquiry, but I don’t know the song well enough nor do I know the meaning of the replies so it could get tricky. Empathy requires a body so it’s out of the question. One should not disturb the dead lightly, ” he says with meaning as if quoting someone he had heard long ago.

Interrupting their heavy conversation, A-Hua decided she had practised her flying enough and landed on Wei Ying’s stomach, knocking the air out of his lungs at the unexpected impact.

“Ooof! Really, little flame, was that necessary?” 

A-Hua chirped at him cheekily. 

“Oh really?” He was about to say more when her attention was caught by movement at the edge of the forest. Seeing A-Hua preparing herself to go hunting, Wei Ying turned slightly to see what she was about to launch herself at and hastily grabbed her. “I don’t mind you hunting, but leave the bunnies alone, alright? Bunnies are not food!”

A-Hua looked at Wei Ying as if she were challenging what he had just said.

“No! Bunnies are not food!” He repeated firmly. “Lan Zhan would be most annoyed if you developed a taste for bunnies and ate one of his.”

A-Hua gave him a draconic pout.

“That won’t sway me, Baobei.” A-Hua huffed but settled down again. Fleur, on the other hand, had covered her mouth to stifle her laughter.

“Oh sure, you laugh but you’ve not seen how protective he is of those bunnies!” Wei Ying huffed at her to cover his embarrassment at her having witnessed his recent interaction with A-Hua. “Since she seems to be hungry, shall we head to the great hall to find some food?”

Fleur nodded, still stifling her laughter. The two of them then stood up, brushed themselves off and headed in, seemingly oblivious to the fact that someone had been watching them in frustration the entire time. 

***

It was ten days before the second task when Wei Ying woke to an extremely confusing day. At breakfast, he was almost accosted by several girls trying to give him various gifts. Due to his confusion, he had been unable to react and had ended up with a pile of gifts he had no idea what to do with. In the end, a house-elf had taken them to his room and he had continued on to the library only to have the scene play out again, only this time with the added bonus of almost being kicked out of the library.

“Madam Pince, why do these girls keep trying to give me things? It’s always girls and I have no idea why they want to give me things anyway,” Wei Ying grumbled to the normally antisocial librarian.

“It’s Valentine's Day, Young Master Wei. They are trying to show their romantic interest in you.” Her dry reply had Wei Ying running a hand through his head with a sigh.

“Great. Just great. Jiang Cheng always said my personality was shameless but this is worse than anything I’ve ever done! That’s it, I’m hiding for the rest of the day. I’m not interested in getting any more gifts and I have no romantic interest in anybody in this castle.” Wei Ying grumbled. “Thank you for explaining it to me, Madam Pince.” Wei Ying continued with a bow to her before he beat a hasty retreat to the room of requirement for the rest of the day. 

By the time supper came round, Wei Ying was a lot more relaxed about the situation but he wasn’t any happier about it. After several more gifts though, he’d had enough. Getting up, he walked to the staff table and spoke with Professor Dumbledore briefly before turning to face the school.

“Sorry to interrupt everyone’s meal but after today, I think this needs to be said: while I am grateful to everyone for their gifts, I cannot return the feelings behind them. I have feelings for someone already and I will not be swayed from his side. Yes, the one I love is a man. No, I don’t know if he feels the same way about me, but to be honest that doesn’t matter, as long as he’s happy. No, I don’t care what anyone here thinks about that, it’s my life. I’ll live it how I want to, thank you very much!”

Having said this, Wei Ying quickly left the Great Hall and went to the kitchens to speak to the elves before heading back to the Room of Requirement. The elves would let Madam Pomfrey know he would be staying in the Room until the day of the second task. 

Arriving at the room, he quickly had it configured to look like Lotus Pier once again, only this time he had a section of the lake be the same depth as the Black Lake so he could accurately predict how his diving talismans would work.

The diving talismans were a set of four talismans which each had a specific purpose. One allowed the user to breathe underwater. A second kept their body at an ideal temperature, while a third would negate the negative effects caused by diving so deeply. The fourth one would allow Wei Ying to surface quickly without anything bad happening to his body. Wei Ying had spent ages working on and perfecting the set as he was still very wary of relying on magic for everything. He had grown up knowing there were no shortcuts and only hard work gave good results.[1]

Finally, the day of the second task arrived and Wei Ying found himself on the water’s edge waiting for the task to begin. He still didn’t know who his hostage was, but he had sworn to Fleur he would rescue her sister should she be unable to reach the merfolk village. Hearing the signal for the start of the task, Wei Ying activated his talismans and dove into the water, swimming with the ease of those who grew up near large bodies of water. Wei Ying frowned at the feel of the water. It was almost like when he had faced the Waterborne Abyss in the lake near Caiyi Town. It wasn’t quite on that level of resentment yet, but it was getting close to it and it worried Wei Ying.

I’ll deal with cleansing the lake as soon as this task is done. What could have caused it though? I’ve seen people swim in the water but no one has drowned in it as far as I know. Wei Ying was so deep in thought he almost didn’t notice the sound of the music floating towards him. However, notice it he did so he quickly swam towards where it was coming from. There, tied to poles, were the four hostages. Wei Ying was surprised to see Sirius had been used as his hostage but quickly shrugged it off as it being due to Sirius being a member of his family. Seeing that Fleur’s eight-year-old sister was still there, Wei Ying turned to one of the merfolk and used the same trick he had used for the first task of channelling qi to his throat.

“Do you have someone assigned to track each champion while they are in the water?”

The merchiefteness gave Wei Ying a toothy smile and nodded. “We do.”

“I’m guessing the only female contestant has already returned to shore, then.”

“She has, why do you ask, young cultivator?”

“I promised her I would bring her sister to the surface should she fail to. Please allow me to do so.” Wei Ying said with as much of a bow as he could manage underwater. The merchiefteness considered his request for a moment.

“Since you asked first, you may do so. Take your hostage with the girl and swim safely to the surface, young one.”

“Thank you,” Wei Ying said with a second bow. “Please do not panic if the water gets a little turbulent once everyone is out of the lake. I can sense the water of this lake contains so much resentment it is bordering on becoming a Waterborne Abyss and I wish to cleanse it before that happens.”

This time the merchiefteness’s smile was filled with gratitude. However, she simply waved Wei Ying away. Wei Ying made short work of the ropes holding Sirius and Gabby before using the same qi rope he’d used on Lan Zhan and Xue Yang all those years ago. Once he was sure they were secure, Wei Ying followed the edge of the water as it sloped up, swimming as fast as he could. He’d seen what happened to people who free dived in the lakes around Lotus Pier and came up too quickly. While he was protected, he didn’t know if the wizards had thought to do the same for the hostages so he didn’t want to risk it.

A cheer erupted from the waiting crowd as Wei Ying surfaced with Sirius and Gabby. Seeing Sirius had woken up, he removed the qi rope from him. He then had Gabby hold on to his back much as he’d done for the juniors he used to train at Lotus Pier and waded the rest of the way to shore.

“What was that blue rope?” A judge demanded. “And how were you able to swim like that without casting a spell?”

“The reason I can swim like I do was because I grew up in an area with a very large lake that we all swam in whilst we were growing up. As for diving as deep as I needed to, to fetch Sirius and Gabby, I simply used some talismans I invented for the task.” Wei Ying said with a shrug. “The rope? Well, that was another invention of mine, except that was created as a joke a while ago.”

The judges tried to demand more information from Wei Ying after he’d answered the first judge’s questions, but Wei Ying ignored them. He had handed Gabby over to Madam Pomfrey and was attempting to meditate in an attempt to build up enough qi to not only replace what he had used but to store up enough to start the cleansing process for the lake. It was due to meditating that he missed not only the return of the other two champions with their hostages but also the points being allocated to each of the champions. Since he had also missed the first round of points allocations, he had no idea that despite his lack of obvious magic use, he was miles ahead of the others and was in first place. He also missed everyone leaving the stands and most of the staff returning to the Great Hall for a feast along with the visiting schools.

“Wuxian?” Madam Pomfrey’s voice pulled him from his meditation.

“Ah, Madam Pomfrey, sorry I was preparing for what I need to do now.” Wei Ying said sheepishly.

“Oh? Should I be worried?”

“Probably.” Wei Ying said with a laugh. “When I entered the lake I noticed it was brimming with resentful energy and if left as is it could threaten the safety of the school. I can cleanse it, but it will probably knock me out for a while. A-Hua knows she can trust you so if I’m still unconscious when it’s her food time, please feed her. I don’t think she’ll want to be too far from me for a while.” Wei Ying’s last sentence was said in a rueful mutter, but Madam Pomfrey heard it anyway.

“Probably not. She’s a clingy little thing, isn’t she?”

“She’s a baby so I expected it. It’s why she’s in that experimental enclosure today. It was the only way I could do the task without risking her trying to join me in the water.”

Madam Pomfrey nodded. “Should I stay here?” 

“If you would. I don’t know how long this will take nor what state I’ll be in, but I can almost guarantee I won’t be walking up the stairs to the hospital wing by myself.” Wei Ying said with a wry smile. “You might want to move back though as this could get messy.”

Once Madam Pomfrey was standing a safe distance away, Wei Ying cast his first array and rapidly switched to his dizi. Playing Cleansing was almost cathartic for him as he let himself drop into the motions of removing the resentful energy from the lake. Sure he wasn’t meant to know how to play Cleansing, but given how often he’d heard it, it was no surprise he could replicate the secret Gusu Lan Technique. He paused when he saw his first array was on the verge of collapse from how much resentful energy it had absorbed to quickly throw a second, third and fourth array out just to be on the safe side. Once the arrays were full an hour later, and Wei Ying’s qi was dangerously low, he stopped. Checking the lake by submerging his hand in it, Wei Ying smiled. He would have to do this a second time but it would be nowhere near as draining or take as long. He’d cleared three-quarters of what he had been able to feel and the water was positively humming to his senses.

Leaning back, Wei Ying quickly stowed away his dizi and turned to face Madam Pomfrey. He had barely taken four steps when the black that had slowly been encroaching on his vision consumed it and he pitched face forward towards the grassy bank. Madam Pomfrey cast a quick spell which saved him from getting a face full of mud and had him on a stretcher.

“Silly boy,” she murmured fondly even as she started walking towards her domain, levitating the stretcher behind her. “At least you thought to warn me beforehand though.” 

It turned out that having meditated before trying to tackle the resentful energy in the lake was a good idea. Instead of being out of commission for a week like Wei Ying feared he would be, he was up and about by lunchtime the next day.

"So do you have more to do to clear the lake?" Madam Pomfrey asked calmly when she saw he had awoken.

"Unfortunately, yes but it won't be as draining. I managed to clear three-quarters of it yesterday so I'll do the last of it either tomorrow or the next day as I don't want to strain my meridians and potentially damage them permanently."

“Would you like me to be there when you do it?”

“If you could be, that would be best. I don’t think anything will go wrong but as much as I hate to admit it, it’s me and things always go wrong at some stage when I am involved.” Wei Ying admitted wryly. 

Before either of them could continue, A-Hua decided she had been patient enough and barreled straight into his chest, knocking the air out of his lungs. Wei Ying gave A-Hua a look of resigned amusement.

“Is this going to be your thing from now on, Baobei? Knocking the air out of your A-Die when you want his attention, hmm?” Wei Ying asked her dryly.

A-Hua cooed up at him cutely and he absently noticed she had grown slightly again.

“If you keep doing that do you mind only doing it in your small form? I don’t know how much damage could be done if you did this to me when you are fully grown.”

A-Hua didn’t dignify Wei Ying with an answer, instead, she climbed up onto his shoulders and hid under his hair next to his neck and let out a rumbling purr.

“What are you, some type of scaly cat?” Wei Ying laughed. A-Hua seemed to take exception to his comment though as the next thing he knew, she had used her tail to smack him. “Hey!”

Madam Pomfrey laughed at Wei Ying. “She was most annoyed when I let her out to feed her, only for her to see you were unconscious. I’ve never seen a dragon pout before but she managed it somehow.”

“She’s brilliant isn’t she?” Wei Ying asked in the doting tone of a proud parent which had Madam Pomfrey laughing all over again.

“That she is, Wuxian. That she is.”

Wei Ying spent the rest of the day and most of the next concentrating on his qi levels, meditating to raise them back to their former levels and if possible, beyond them. A-Hua spent her time watching him closely as though she didn’t trust him out of her sight so Wei Ying made sure to cycle a tiny bit of his qi into her every now and then to reassure her he was alright. She even insisted on joining them when Wei Ying went down to the lake to complete the cleansing process. A-Hua stayed near Madam Pomfrey but only after several bribes to persuade her to stay put. Thankfully Wei Ying didn’t faint a second time and A-Hua seemed to decide he could be trusted once more. It made Wei Ying worry about how she would react to him going out on night hunts when he returned home.

Chapter Text

Although there were four months until the third task, Wei Ying refused to relax for too long. He had met with the goblins to sort out his family’s finances, converting most of it into things he could either sell easily in his own time, use as courting gifts or into the currency he was used to using after the goblins were able to get hold of some examples of it. He had also commissioned a new bow and a Jian from them as he had no idea what had happened to his precious Suibian, nor how quickly he’d be able to get his hands on a bow and quiver upon his return. The Jian wasn’t a spirit blade, but it would be a blade he would be able to wield with or without a core. While Wei Ying doubted he’d ever lose his core again, he’d rather have a backup plan.

Once the weapons were delivered it was a fairly common sight for the occupants of Hogwarts to see Wei Ying either entering or leaving the Forbidden Forest. Although they didn’t know it, Wei Ying had taken to thinning down the population of Acromantulas he had found within the forest. While he didn’t know how they got there, Wei Ying found them to be similar enough to yāo for him to be worried about them. There wasn’t enough resentment for them to have formed there naturally, which meant they had been brought in by someone. Since nothing in the forest was big enough to take out the older ones Wei Ying had taken to doing it himself. 

When Wei Ying wasn’t hunting, he had taken to working with Professor Snape to learn as much as he could about potions. He doubted he’d be able to find all the same ingredients he had here when he went back home, but Wei Ying also knew he would be able to make substitutions as long as he knew the properties of the ingredients Snape was using. Wei Ying readily admitted his primary focus was on healing potions and potions that would be useful in battle but given his past, who could blame him.

Since Wei Ying was still using a time turner to get everything done, he had decided to study the animagus transformation with Sirius. His godfather had been thrilled to share the experience with Wei Ying and had made sure to bring his old journals with him, so Wei Ying would be able to read them and know what to expect. It turned out having a background in two different energy or magic abilities had given Wei Ying a duel nature. This made his transformation a little more complicated and in the end, they had to get Professor McGonagall in to monitor their sessions as a precaution.

It was during one of their talks about his forms that Professor McGonagall brought up an interesting thought; His primary animagus form or the one they felt was related to the magic side of him appeared to be a Huli jing, a fox spirit[2]. His secondary animagus form appeared to be more connected to his cultivation side and this form was a bird-like Fenghuang [3]. Sirius and Professor McGonagall had stared at him when they had first found out, but all Wei Ying could do was laugh. 

To him, it made perfect sense. While most Huli jings were depicted as female, he was still seen as highly dangerous due to his demonic cultivation. Lan Zhan was often seen as the pillar of good conduct which all cultivators should aspire to, yet it was Wei Ying who was closest to him and as such was seen as a bad influence on him. His Fenghuang form also made sense to Wei Ying. Since he could manipulate both types of qi, one could say he was perfectly in balance. He didn’t think of himself as an omen of any kind, but he could see how others might, although he was sure most saw him as a bad omen rather than a good one. Wei Ying had been surprised to see that both his animal forms were primarily black, with his Fenghuang having red accents while the Huli jing’s accents were white.  

One of the tasks Wei Ying had undertaken was sorting through everything he wanted to take back with him when he left. The last thing he wanted was to do a mad scramble in the lead up to him activating his mother’s array and risk leaving something behind. To that end, he had commissioned a seven compartment trunk to hold everything. He had then worked with Newt to convert one of the compartments into the perfect enclosure for A-Hua. She had been suspicious of the case at first but settled down after spending a few nights inside it and being released in the morning with Wei Ying still in perfect health.

Each compartment had a different function and was accessed by pressing on certain ruins. It could even shrink or expand simply by being tapped with a wand or dizi. Wei Ying had placed a couple of traps on it as a security feature, but for the most part, it had a relatively standard set of security wards. Other than the enclosure compartment for A-Hua, Wei Ying had made one for the contents of his family vault that weren’t made of gold or precious metals, a compartment for clothing and hair things, one for all his potion-making equipment, a library compartment and a compartment for all the courting gifts he had commissioned. Since he had a seven-compartment trunk this meant he still had one free, though he was planning on using it for all his cultivation equipment. 

Between all of these things and his helping out in the infirmary, Wei Ying was surprised to find the four months between the tasks had vanished. Since he was entering the maze first Wei Ying knew he would have to concentrate to reach the centre before the others did. Just because he wasn’t a willing participant in the tournament didn’t mean he wasn’t going to try to win it. Looking around, Wei Ying smiled, it was almost like being caught in a maze array, something he had experienced on a night hunt before. Thinking quickly, Wei Ying made a couple of papermen and sent them on their way before resorting to wizarding magic for the first time during the tournament. A simple point me spell had him jogging closer to where he needed to be while his papermen warned him about any traps lying in wait.

He was especially glad he’d sent out his papermen as they allowed him to avoid the boggart. He didn’t need to face a boggart to know what his greatest fear was, dogs were the worst after all. As Wei Ying walked further into the maze he couldn’t help letting his mind wander. He thought about how much he was looking forward to going home, how much he missed being around things that felt familiar to him rather than the weird comfortable discomfort of the wizarding world. He even thought of the people he had left behind. Jiang Cheng had been left feeling like he, Wei Ying, had turned his back on his promise for the two of them to become the twin prides while the truth was he’d had to in order for Jiang Cheng to become Sect Leader. He wondered how much of his story had been twisted and how big of a villain he was now seen as.

Wei Ying was brought out of his thoughts by a female voice challenging him.

“Well, you’re a different style of champion to what I was told to expect.”

Wei Ying looked to where the voice had come from and bowed. “I didn’t mean to disturb you,” he said respectfully to the only other thing near him in the maze. It had a large cat-like body with the face of a woman. 

“And you do not. I was placed in this maze as an obstacle for your destination is at hand. Were you planning on staying in this time, your riddle would have been a clue to what your next obstacle is. However, since that is not the case, your riddle will be a bit more personal and is something you will need to bear in mind. You have two riddles you will need to solve, get them right and you can proceed past me unscathed. Get them wrong and I will attack. Do you accept my challenge?”

Wei Ying nodded. “Before you ask your questions may I ask you something?”

“Sure.” She answered with a feline smile that matched her physical form.

“What are you?”

“I am a sphinx”

“Never heard of sphinxes before,” Wei Ying murmured absently. “I’ll need to look that up when I’m done.”

“Are you ready for your first riddle?” the sphinx asked, giving no sign of having heard his reply.

“Sure.”

“Used to wield power and glory, 

yet results were rather Gorey, 

when it wrote our human story in the eyes of wiser men, 

it is weaker than a pen.”

Wei Ying was quiet as he repeated the riddle to himself within the confines of his mind. He sighed as the words resonated with him. Hadn’t he been used the same way as the object in the riddle? Brought Glory to his Sect through the gore of war only to let himself be tossed aside. The same way he’d had to do with Suibian.

“A sword.” Wei Ying said as a tear trailed down his cheek. The sphinx smiled sadly at him. 

“You saw the parallels within your past, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Good. This one is about your future and is more of a warning. Are you ready?”

Wei Ying nodded.

“We hurt without moving. 

We poison without touching. 

We bear the truth and the lies. 

We are not to be judged by our size. 

What are we?”

Wei Ying scratched his nose as he once again mulled over the riddle presented to him. Hurt without moving, poison without touching, capable of bearing truth and lies yet not judged by size. Rumours tore apart Uncle Jiang and Madam Yu and rumours could be big or small can poison or hurt, be truthful or be lies, yet for some reason, the obvious answer doesn’t feel right. But rumours are made of—

“Words,” Wei Ying blurted out, only to close his eyes, waiting for the attack. But the attack never came.

“Words indeed. They can be manipulated to build or destroy, be the target large or small. They can mean something or nothing yet it is never their size they are judged by but how someone uses them.” 

Wei Ying shuddered. If that was a warning for his future that meant either someone had twisted his words to be truly evil or someone was using words for evil.

“My head hurts,” Wei Ying complained half-heartedly.

“You’ll be fine. After all, you have someone who believes in you unerringly, even when you do not believe in yourself.” 

“Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying breathed. The sphinx smiled again even as she fell silent and moved aside to let him pass. Wei Ying bowed to her in thanks even as he moved on.

He was so lost in thought he only vaguely noticed the acromantula bearing down on him, as he absently flicked a paralysis and fire talisman at it made purely from his qi. He didn’t even think to practise caution as he saw the cup on the pedestal and picked it up to examine it closer. He did, however, notice when something hooked his navel spun him rapidly only to slam him back onto the floor.

“Ow!”

*Dark Alert*

This time it was his reflexes that saved him, making him dodge the beam of light that flew his way, followed by several others when the first one missed. Eventually, he used the shadows to hide rather than keep dodging and slowly made his way back to the cup only to freeze as he heard a sibilant voice echo towards him.

“Leave him, use the spare. It’s why he’s here after all!”

“But—but master” a voice stuttered in reply.

“DON’T QUESTION ME, FOOL!”

“Y-yes, master.”

Wei Ying stayed where he was, analysing the situation. There were three other people in the area with him. One innocent, and two hell-bent on disaster if the foul ritual he could hear taking place was any indication.

“Bone of father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!” a man's shaking voice echoed towards Wei Ying. 

Wait a moment, if they were using bones then they were in a graveyard! Wei Ying looked around, it was unlike any graveyard he had ever seen but who cared? If it was a graveyard there were corpses and more importantly, there was resentment.

Wei Ying’s attention returned to the two who had been arguing as a man stepped out of a cauldron. Wei Ying withheld his snort. Seriously, how dramatic can you get? I wasn’t this bad even at the height of my madness and arrogance. It had taken a while for him to admit that using resentful energy was poisoning him like Lan Zhan said it was, but once he had accepted he was wrong, he had worked hard to create several safety measures should he ever feel the need to use resentful energy again. Not that he ever thought he’d need them as resentful energy was just another form of energy. A quick shake of his head had Wei Ying focusing on the situation at hand again.

Right, that looks like a Hogwarts uniform, so I’m guessing it’s a student though from this angle I can’t tell if it’s male or female or even how old they are. I wonder how he was brought here as it doesn’t look like he came willingly. There is enough energy here to cause total chaos though so I can use that. Wei Ying rolled his eyes when he saw more people arriving with soft cracks of displaced air and had to cover his mouth to stop himself from laughing as the man who had stepped out of the cauldron started some big speech about loyalty. He listened quietly in amusement that failed to vanish, even when the man tried to call him out of the shadows. He did, however, decide he should reply.

“Oh, so I should have offered myself to you on a silver platter?” Wei Ying drawled still using the shadows to cloak himself.

“What are you, Potter? A coward? Too scared to face me, the all-powerful Lord Voldemort?” the now identified Voldemort shouted back.

“One, that’s not my name. Two, only an idiot gives away his advantage in battle. Three, not once since I arrived have I seen anything I should be scared of.”

“You should be scared! I studied books by a man more powerful than you will ever be, Potter .”

“Oh really, tell me who and I might throw you a clue as to where I am.” Wei Ying said even as he kept moving, making sure nobody could lock onto his location by using his voice.

“The Yiling Patriarch,” Voldemort said with pride, which had Wei Ying bursting out in laughter. 

“What are you laughing about?” Voldemort screamed in outrage.

“The Yiling Patriarch, you say?”

“That’s right! Scared now?”

“Why should I be?” Wei Ying asked calmly even as he stepped out of the shadows right behind the man. “I am him, after all.” 

Voldemort whipped round, robes flaring and froze. Wei Ying had used a couple of moments before he’d stepped out of the shadows to transfigure his robes to the same ones he’d worn whenever he’d been in public as the Yiling Patriarch—his hair was also styled the way he’d used to have it. Wei Ying had decided to up his game by letting his eyes glow red by letting the resentful energy twist around him, much like the shadows were doing.

“H-how! You can’t be him! He’s dead!” Voldemort spluttered, backing away quickly, heedless of the fact that he was losing face in front of his followers.

“Not for want of trying,” Wei Ying smirked. “Now, let’s see if you spoke the truth about studying anything of mine. What was my name? What did I fight for and what was my most powerful creation?” Wei Ying was slowly stalking forward as he spoke, a cruel smirk firmly in place, mentally making a note to destroy anything he’d written about resentful energy when he returned.

“I-I-I-”

“Can’t answer? Oh well, it’s not like I care anyway, you are nothing compared to others I’ve fought. I doubt you’ll even give me a challenge.” 

Before Voldemort could react to those inflammatory words, Wei Ying struck. Spears of black energy stabbed, crushed and in some cases completely eviscerated those that had responded to Voldemort’s summons. Blood flew through the air as arteries were sliced open, raining down on the soil indiscriminately. Wei Ying’s smirk grew as with a quick whistle the fallen followers who were still in one piece slowly stood only to chase after those that had run, too panic-stricken to remember they could simply teleport away. Screams and spells flew through the air as they scrambled to escape but none of them hit their mark.

“You were saying?” Wei Ying purred.

Voldemort watched the scene around him, his head swinging back and forth wildly in horror. He’d never thought his followers could be slaughtered like this. He couldn’t move though, shadows had curled around his legs and arms, shackling him to the coffin that lay beneath the ground he was standing on. 

Wei Ying turned abruptly and looked around him to see there were only fierce corpses standing. With a sigh he withdrew the energy from them, watching them crumble to the ground dispassionately. Suddenly he noticed the large snake slithering toward them rapidly and smirked cruelly again. A blade of resentful shadows gutted the snake even as they propelled it fangs first into Voldemort. The snake’s venom, made exceptionally potent thanks to the energy’s influence, pumped into Voldemort making him writhe in agony as it worked to dissolve the man slowly from the inside out.

Wei Ying watched the mad man scream as he meted to his death with a sort of detachment he had never felt before. Well, that wasn’t quite true, he’d felt it during the three months after being thrown into the Burial Mounds and he’d been whipping out Wen bases. As soon as the screams stopped, Wei Ying took a deep breath and turned round to face the black cocoon he’d created around the defenceless Hogwarts student. He dispersed it with a soothing gesture before checking on the student. He heaved a sigh of relief when he saw the student was still unconscious but still breathing. Wei Ying was about to pick him up and walk to the cup in the hopes it would take them both back to the school when he paused, the energy within the graveyard was still heavy with resentment which meant it could lead to problems down the line if he left it as it was. Closing his eyes, Wei Ying weighed his options before pulling his dizi off his belt. Taking a deep breath, he played the same song he had used for the Black Lake. He’d played about half the song when the Hogwarts student stirred. 

*Safe*

“W-where am I?” the dazed boy stammered even as he blinked owlishly at his surroundings. Wei Ying didn’t stop playing though, he could but he didn’t want to stop what he was doing and have to start again.

“Y-you’re the Yiling Patriarch! A-are you going to kill me?” The boy asked in a halting voice which made Wei Ying frown and shake his head without stopping his playing. A brief thought had his clothes melting back into their original forms which seemed to reassure the child. 

“Why do you not speak? Is the tune that important?”

Wei Ying smiled slightly as he nodded and the boy fell silent to listen to the music. It wasn’t that much later when Wei Ying finished the song and checked the energy of the graveyard. He nodded in satisfaction, as the energy had stabilized at a more manageable level.

“Right, now that that’s done, are you ready to head back to the school?” Wei Ying asked the boy quietly, even as he started walking towards where he had last seen the cup without waiting for a reply.

“S-sure.” The boy replied nervously.

“Relax, I won’t hurt you. I’ve been at the school for a while now and I’ve not hurt anyone have I?” Wei Ying asked in a joking manner which he hoped would put the boy at ease. The boy just shook his head mutely making Wei Ying sigh.

“Look, kid, I’ve done things I don’t like thinking about and am not proud of but that doesn’t mean I liked doing it nor does it mean I’m evil. I don’t hurt people for fun. Only in self-defence or to protect others. Does that make sense?”  

The boy was silent for a while before he spoke.

“What are we looking for?” 

“Oh! I should have said earlier! The cup from the centre of the maze dragged me here so I figured it would take us back.” Wei Ying replied with a bright smile. The boy looked at him in confusion.

“Why don’t you just summon it?” He asked like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Wei Ying froze then groaned.

“Urgh, why didn’t I think of that? Alright, I think it might be touch activated so be prepared to catch it with me and hold on tight to me with your other hand in case.” 

This had the desired effect of making the boy laugh even as Wei Ying hastily did just as the boy had suggested. Wei Ying made sure he had a hand on the boy, who kept an equally tight grip on Wei Ying even as the cup came flying towards them. Just like before, the feeling of the cup touching his hand was accompanied by the sensation of something hooking his navel. The spinning sensation was just as uncomfortable as it was the first time, especially when it ended with him being slammed to the floor. The biggest difference was this time an elbow ploughed into his ribs as he landed, helping to keep the air out his lungs for a fraction longer.

“If I ever travel that way again it will be too soon!” Wei Ying complained breathlessly to his travel companion who nodded rapidly in agreement.

“Neville!” Professor McGonagall yelled as she ran forward. “You’re alright!”

“Thanks to Young Master Wei I am.” the boy, Neville admitted with a shy smile, but without the stutter, he’d had when talking to Wei Ying at first. Must be comfortable with her Wei Ying thought with an indulgent smile, comparing the boy to his good friend Wen Ning.

“And you!” Professor McGonagall said rounding on Wei Ying, making him want to back away slowly, “Thank you.”

Wei Ying smiled genuinely for the first time all evening. “I only did what anyone would do.” He replied modestly and with a slight shake of his head when Neville shot him a look of disbelief.

“Wuxian!” 

Wei Ying yelped and dove behind Professor McGonagall, trying to hide from the irate Madam Pomfrey and A-Hua who were barreling towards them.

“I didn’t do it!” He blurted out automatically. Why are healers always so scary ?

“Didn’t do what, Wuxian?” Madam Pomfrey asked suspiciously as everyone who knew his parents tried not to laugh at how much he resembled James at that moment.

“Um, whatever I’m in trouble for?” Wei Ying replied cautiously.

“I know you didn’t, that’s why you are in trouble!”

Wei Ying looked at the nurse in confusion. “Uh…”

“Hold still, I need to check you over for injuries.”

Wei Ying’s eyes widened. “Oh. OH! I forgot to come straight to you once I’d finished the third task! Um, in my defence I didn’t know the cup would take me elsewhere and…”

“None of that.” Madam Pomfrey cut across Wei Ying’s babbling. “You seem to be in perfect health, but this is the second time you’ve done something stupid so I don’t think your child will let you out of her sight anytime soon.”

“Hey! I didn’t—”

“I don’t want to hear it, you little gremlin!”

“Yes Ma’am,” Wei Ying says with a half-smile.

***

Now that the school was empty, the Professors were finding out just how much of a gremlin Wei Ying truly was. The pranks they thought were pulled by Fred and George Weasley kept happening and somehow they were happening even more frequently. Dumbledore’s lemon drops were replaced with Honey cough drops. McGonagall kept finding catnip in her draws and Snape’s shampoo seemed to be working better than normal which was freaking out all of the staff members. Eventually, Madam Pomfrey had had enough.

“Wuxian!” She yelled storming into his room after having to calm Minerva down from a catnip high for the third time that week.

“Yes Madam Pomfrey,” Wei Ying replied innocently from where he was sprawled on the floor surrounded by open books and scrolls.

“What are you doing?” She asked, completely thrown by what she was seeing.

“Oh, well I figured since you have those portkey things and teleportation techniques, I thought I’d see if they couldn’t be adapted into the teleportation talismans I’m used to. They are similar enough and from the prototype ones I’ve been testing in the room of requirement, as long as I have an anchor at the preferred destination I can make a permanent transport array in each sect which will help cut down on travel time between sects.”

“In other words, you’re meddling again.” She said with an exasperated sigh.

“Um…” Wei Ying rubbed his nose uncertainly. Madam Pomfrey shook her head.

“Are you almost ready to attempt to go home?”

“Yup! Everything is ready on my side. I’m simply waiting for the goblins to give me the all-clear regarding everything I’ve asked them to set up. The only thing I’ve been doing for the past two weeks is fiddling with my old inventions.” Wei Ying admitted with a smile. 

“I think the staff will be pleased to see the back of you after this month.” Madam Pomfrey said wryly.

“Never throw a challenge at me simply because you think I can’t complete it.” Wei Ying said with a shrug. “Blame the twins for challenging me.”

“Oh, we will!” Madam Pomfrey replied in an ominous tone. Wei Ying just laughed in reply.

Sure enough, it was two days later that Wei Ying was standing in the room of requirement double-checking his meticulously drawn array. He had carefully copied it from the one found on the floorboards under his crib and he had cross-referenced it with the one in his mother's notes. Finally, he nodded and turned to the members of staff who had gathered behind him.

“My boy, are you sure you need to go?” Dumbledore asked in his grandfatherly tone. Wei Ying sighed even as he nodded. Dumbledore had tried to persuade him to stay but Wei Ying just wanted to go home . He’d told the Ministry of Magic and Dumbledore highly edited versions of what had happened in the graveyard and the goblins had confirmed Riddle aka Voldemort was dead so there was nothing Dumbledore could do to try to make him stay. Even Remus and Sirius had accepted Wei Ying wanting to leave.

“Everything is packed and A-Hua is in her enclosure. I have my trunk in my pocket, I just need to strap my sword and dizi to my side and I’m ready to go. I didn’t want them dragging and ruining the array.” Wei Ying said quietly. As he spoke he checked his clothes one last time and smiled nostalgically as he remembered shooting kites at Lotus Pier with Jiang Cheng in a similar set. After strapping on his sword and dizi with practised movements, he turned and looked at the gathered members of staff as well as Sirius and Remus.

“Thank you for taking care of me for these past few months.” He said with a deep bow. “I will miss you all, but it’s time for me to go home. I have a lot of work ahead of me and I want to get started as soon as possible.”

“We’ll miss you, Wuxian. I’ve taught you all I could about healing and you’ve mastered your animagus forms so while there is still much we can teach you, you are as best equipped as we could make you.” Madam Pomfrey said sternly, which made Wei Ying smile and nod.

With a final bow, he carefully stepped into the centre of the array and activated it. A blinding flash of light later and all traces of Wei Ying had vanished from Hogwarts.

Chapter Text

As far as Minerva McGonagal was concerned it was probably a good thing Harry Potter hadn’t arrived at Hogwarts any earlier than he had. Sure he now insisted his name was Wei Wuxain but that was beside the point. Somehow, the Weasley twins had found out who the Marauders were and had decided that since Wei Wuxain was the son of Prongs, he was their rival. There was only one problem. Wei Wuxain didn’t notice their attempts at all. The twins tried everything they could think of to get his attention.

They had tried trapping his clothes with itching powder, minor jinxes like colour change charms on his hair and clothes, prank potions in his food and drink or even vanishing his chair as he went to sit down. Much to their consternation, however,  Wei Wuxain hadn’t reacted to any of this. Instead, he had simply kept going as though nothing had happened.

That is why the pair had woken themselves up at an unholy hour when not even the birds, except owls, were awake. They used the map to make their way to the room where their rival was staying and slowly started to rig the door with a series of traps, confident that at least one of them would catch their rival when he walked out of his room, still mostly asleep. First to go up was a standard tripwire that would pull on a smaller wire emptying a bucket of ice water over him. Once the bucket of water was empty a  second one that contained a clear, sticky potion would drop its contents onto the person below it which would hopefully keep him in place as the bag of feathers carefully collected from the owlery rained down onto him. At least that was the plan.

Alas, not everything went according to said plan and it was not their unknowing rival who would end up covered in feathers but the last person they would ever target. The school nurse, Madam Pomfrey. She had had a rush of people arriving in the hospital wing as a result of a bathroom flooding and multiple people falling and injuring themselves and instead of delegating someone else to fetch her assistant she had used a small break in the arrivals to fetch him herself. Needless to say, she had been amused. Neither was Minerva when she was told about the incident.  

The fallout from the twins' failed prank was not something they would ever want to remember. Molly had sent them a Howler which had practically deafened them. Minerva had put them in another series of detentions and taken away a boatload of points. But the worst part of it all was their rival had yet again failed to notice their attempts. He had carried on, focusing instead on helping all those who had injured themselves while Madam Pomfrey had cleaned herself up.

It was only after school had ended for the year and they had gone home completely dejected that they had decided to give up on the idea that their so-called rival was a prankster at all.  A letter from McGonagall along with their school requirements for the following year threw them for a loop, however. It turned out their rival did have a pranking side after all. Pranks they had thought were side effects from their own were shown to be his work as were several other pranks they’d had no idea about beyond landing them in detention. Turning to each other after having read their letter the twins were forced to face a very annoying and uncomfortable fact.

Wei Wuxain wasn’t their rival. He was their superior and outclassed them in the one area they had previously thought they had cornered the Hogwarts market on. He stuck to the pranksters' code in a way they never had and did his legacy as the son of Prongs proud. Yes, he wasn’t their rival. He was now their inspiration. Sure he was their gay awakening but come on, it wasn’t like they were the only ones to fall for the guy! Look out Hogwarts, the Weasley Twins were going to show everyone what they were truly capable of now...

Chapter Text

Well, that went well, Wei Ying thought as he opened his eyes and saw a bloody array under his hands.

“Wei Wuxain?” A nervous voice asked, bringing his attention to the fact that he wasn’t alone.  The other person seemed to be a young man, probably slightly older than himself, dressed in colours similar to his own.  

“That’s me!” he puffed, still slightly out of breath from his rough landing.

“H-how am I still alive if you are here?” 

“I’m guessing the qi in your array to summon whoever you were trying to summon, interfered with the array I had cast to bring me back home.  Not sure how though,” He trailed off as his mind tried to kick into overtime.

“I was trying to summon the Yiling Patriarch, Wei Wuxain, but if you are him how am I not dead?  The array should have…”

“That’s because I never died.” Wei Ying interrupted.  “I was supposed to but similar to this time, two rituals clashed and instead of killing me, it simply dragged me across time.  How many years has it been since the siege of the Burial Mounds?”

“Thirteen, Young Master Wei.”

“Wow, ok I’m way off target! I should have arrived back barely a year after the siege ended as it’s only been a year for me.  Who am I to try and give orders to time though?” Wei Ying said quietly to himself as he pushed himself up until he was sitting instead of lying down.

“Um since I used the soul sacrificing array I hadn’t planned on having an extra person here, so how am I meant to hide you?” 

“Don’t worry about it, I have a way of hiding which, while a little ostentatious, can be overlooked rather easily.” Wei Ying said with his usual grin. “By the way, what’s your name?”

“Oh! This one is Mò Xuányǔ ” The man replied his eyes slightly unfocused as he looked at Wei Ying.  Before either male could say anything else voices floated over to them.  Although the words were unclear, Wei Ying looked at his companion and smiled.  Mò Xuányǔ gasped as Wei Ying vanished from sight only to be replaced by a black and red Fenghuang which flew up into the rafters.  He gasped again as a man came into view who then proceeded to kick Mò Xuányǔ repeatedly, berating him for even thinking the owners of the manor would care about anything Mò Xuányǔ said. The men who had arrived with the one kicking Mò Xuányǔ proceeded to destroy everything in the room which didn’t take long at all.

Once the other men had left Wei Ying dropped down, turning back into his human self as he did so.

“I’m guessing the worst two of those that were just here are two of the people you wanted revenge on?” he asked calmly.  Mò Xuányǔ nodded and showed Wei Ying his arm.  There were four cuts with one deeper than the rest, each cut bleeding sluggishly onto the raw edges of the material of his shirt.

“Why didn’t these transfer over to you?” Mò Xuányǔ asked, his glazed eyes showing he wasn’t completely aware of what was happening around him. Wei Ying smiled sadly but didn’t answer. He knew it was because, despite the two rituals clashing, the requirements of the ritual Mò Xuányǔ had used still needed to be met. A body was offered, a bargain struck and the price still needed to be paid by both parties involved. 

***

Since they were already in Mò Xuányǔ’s room, the two of them sat talking for the rest of the afternoon, with Wei Ying taking the opportunity given to him to get as much information about what had happened since his supposed death as possible. It was a nasty surprise when the door was thrown open and several servants stormed in. It was only thanks to a hastily cast notice-me-not charm that the servants didn’t see Wei Ying even as they grabbed Mò Xuányǔ and proceeded to drag him to a room where Mo Ziyuan was standing, bound in deity binding ropes.  

There were a couple of Lan Sect Juniors in the room as well so Wei Ying guessed they were the ones who had bound what appeared to be the puppet who used to be Mo Ziyuan. Wei Ying followed, jogging to keep up but still keeping to the shadows just in case.  It was only as he was debating how to enter the room while remaining unseen that he remembered there was a wizarding charm to turn himself almost invisible.  Shaking his head at his memory lapse, he quickly cast the disillusionment charm and added the notice-me-not charm just to be sure and slipped into the room.

After making his way around the edge of the room, Wei Ying paused to examine Mo Ziyuan.  He quickly deduced Mo Ziyuan had indeed been turned into a puppet of some description, however, the means of how that happened escaped him until he noticed a slip of black material sticking out of Mo Ziyuan’s robes.  So, he stole one of the spirit attraction flags.  He really is a kleptomaniac!  Wasn’t Mo Xuányǔ complaining about his cousin stealing something of his earlier as well?   Noticing movement coming from Mo Ziyuan, Wei Ying quickly created a talisman out of pure qi and activated it at the same time as one of the Lan Juniors.  The body stopped moving but Wei Ying frowned.  Something was wrong.

That something turned out to be a demonic arm capable of jumping from body to body possessing and draining each body as it went.  By the time the Juniors sent for backup Wei Ying was ready to scream in frustration.  He wanted to help and had done so whenever he could but at the same time, he didn’t want anyone to know he was back yet.  There were simply too many people around for him to risk acting openly.  He knew from personal experience word would spread quickly. Nothing had stayed secret at Hogwarts and Wei Ying knew the cultivation world wasn’t much better. It was due to this knowledge that he had limited himself to simply reviving the Mo’s as fierce corpses to try to help the juniors.  They were well trained but the demonic arm was simply too powerful for them to deal with.

***

Wei Ying looked on sadly as Mò Xuányǔ died even as the final cut healed. It probably would have been worse if it weren’t for the fact that Mò Xuányǔ had been sitting down but Wei Ying still found it sad to watch the life leave his body. Sure he felt a moderate amount of selfish relief that the contract had been completed but as far as Wei Ying was concerned, all life was precious and there was something inherently disheartening to see it snuffed out. Working quickly, Wei Ying gave Mò Xuányǔ as much of a proper burial as possible before heading back to the edge of the estate.  He needed to leave before the Lans realised he was there, to begin with. A thought and a twist of magic later and he was flying towards the forest, his predominantly black form hiding him as he flew to where he hoped he could rest for a bit before moving on. It turned out fate had something else planned for him though as barely a day had passed after he had chosen his roost within the forest, the forest seemed to come alive with cultivators.

Now what? Wei Ying thought grumpily. With the avian version of a sigh, Wei Ying moved to the edge of his broad perch and looked down only to muffle a squawk of horror.  The cultivators were fighting what appeared to be a living goddess statue.  A moment of further observation showed Wei Ying that they were not managing too well either.  He was about to sit back when he caught sight of the same Lan Juniors that had been at Mo village.  Wei Ying groaned.  While he didn’t particularly care about the cultivators from the other Sects, he had developed a soft spot for those young Lans when they had been fighting the demonic arm.

Wei Ying hesitated for a moment before moving back to the centre of the branch and shifting back into his human form. He knew if he did this he wouldn’t be able to prevent anyone from finding out he was back. I should have checked my horoscope for bad luck before I did anything else. Wei Ying thought with a grumble even as he rummaged around in his pockets for the first time since he had returned to this time period and smiled when he found what he was looking for.  A quick tap of his Dizi on the object had it returning to its normal size, revealing it to be his seven-compartment trunk.  Running his hands along the edge of the trunk he quickly pressed his thumb onto the rune that would allow him to open the largest compartment.  It was the largest for the simple reason that it contained the specially created environment needed to keep A-Hua safe and happy while he was travelling.

A-Hua was near the entrance in seconds and when Wei Ying smiled and moved out the way she burst out of the trunk in glee.  She was silent as she did so though she could hear the fighting below and realised she would need to be careful.  A-Hua took a moment to observe the scene below her before looking at Wei Ying who nodded and quickly shrank and stowed the trunk away.  That was all the encouragement she needed.  She launched herself off the branch with a deafening roar and dove down towards the goddess statue releasing several quick balls of fire that had the cultivators below diving out of the way.

Wei Ying smirked as he watched A-Hua distract the statue as well as the cultivators then swiftly brought his flute to his lips to summon backup for her.  A short tune later quickly brought the backup A-Hua needed but now it was Wei Ying’s turn to be stunned.  The backup was none other than Wen Ning!  Wei Ying groaned for the umpteenth time that day. I really should have checked that ruddy horoscope!   A-Hua soon had the goddess statue immobilised which allowed Wen Ning to get in close and destroy it.  Silence fell as the statue crumbled to the ground.  There were a few tense moments as the cultivators waited to see if it would reform and when it didn’t they turned their attention to Wen Ning.

“It’s the Ghost General!”

“Sect Leader Jiang would have to acknowledge me if we brought him in!”

Wei Ying sighed and played the note that let A-Hua know she had to protect the one who had aided her.  Faster than the cultivators could react, A-Hua had coiled her tail protectively around Wen Ning, who hadn’t moved since the battle ended.  The gathered cultivators starred.  Why was a dragon protecting a corpse? Weren’t they known to be territorial and for destroying all those that tried to get close to them, regardless of if they were alive or dead? The Lan juniors had the presence of mind to secure the demonic arm in a Qiankun bag, which made Wei Ying give a mostly hidden relieved smile.

“What’s going on here?” A strident voice demanded as a figure clad in the purple of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect strode into the clearing.  He was met with a garbled chorus of answers, which he promptly ignored as he gazed at A-Hua in awe. Wei Ying had to admit that his brother had grown since he had last seen him.

“Where did the dragon come from?  They haven’t been seen in over two hundred years, not since the accord was made.” 

“That man made her appear, he then played his dizi and the Ghost General showed up.” A haughty, young cultivator in gold marking him as a member of the Jin Sect answered, gesturing to Wei Ying.

Jiang Cheng spun on his heel to look at where Wei Ying was leaning back against a tree. 

“Wei Wuxain!” He spat angrily as their eyes met, Zidian racing across the distance to try to whip him.  Except Zidian was deflected by a flash of blue before it could reach him. Wei Ying looked to where the blade had gone, having deflected Zidian and nodded his thanks to Lan Zhan who had arrived unnoticed.

“Hánguāng-jūn,” Jiang Cheng sneered “Still showing up in the centre of chaos I see.”

Lan Zhan didn’t answer.  He was concentrating on the light humming he could hear and trying not to let his heart fill with hope.  He knew the tune being hummed, he wrote it after all.  And there was only one other person who knew it, Wei Ying.  His eyes shot over to the man who had walked over to the dragon while everyone else was distracted and was now circling Wen Ning curiously.  Lan Zhan frowned slightly when he noticed a red collar around the dragon's neck.  Since the dragon's scales shimmered in the moonlight it was hard not to notice the void the collar created.

Suddenly the purple lightning of Zidian lashed out towards the man, only this time Lan Zhan knew he wouldn’t be fast enough to stop it.  He mentally braced himself for the cry of pain, only the cry never happened.  Instead, Zidian returned to its inert form and refused to move toward the man at all.

“Wei Wuxain, undo whatever you have just done to Zidian.” Jiang Cheng howled.  Wei Ying turned with a frown.

“In case it has escaped your notice Jiang Cheng, my back was towards you.  I did nothing to Zidian.” Wei Ying said calmly, before returning his attention to Wen Ning.  His frown deepened as he tried to figure something out but what that something was Lan Zhan didn’t know.

“Well then the dragon must have, how dare you put a spell on a mythical being! You should be ashamed of yourself!”

“There are no control spells on A-Hua.  Nor did she use any, she is too young to manipulate magic.  Well aside from being able to shrink herself down so she can sit on my shoulders for some strange reason.  She’s only six months old after all!” Wei Ying’s voice was similar to that of a doting parent as he spoke about the dragon currently coiled loosely around Wen Ning and himself. The dragon purred at the fond tone of Wei Ying's voice. Lan Zhan frowned.  Where had Wei Ying obtained a dragon egg? And why were his hands in Wen Ning’s hair?  A jolt of jealousy passed through Lan Zhan briefly before Wen Ning released a cry of pain.

“Wei Ying!” Lan Zhan’s voice burst out of him in shock and worry.

Wei Ying didn’t reply.  Jiang Cheng was likewise ignored when he tried to ask Wei Ying what he was doing.

“There, that should do it,” Wei Ying suddenly murmured before frowning at whatever was in his hands.  “Who would put these in you, A-Ning? And why?” He sighed but jumped when a soft voice spoke.

“Young Master Wei?”

“Wen Ning!” Wei Ying exclaimed happily even as he proceeded to fuss over the fierce corpse causing the scent of vinegar to permeate the air.

“Wei Wuxain!  I demand you fix Zidian at once!” Jiang Cheng shouted.

“Jiang Cheng, I said it once and I will say it again.  I have done nothing to Zidian.” Wei Ying said absently.

“Then why isn’t it working?”

“Have you tried aiming it at something other than myself?”

Jiang Cheng paused, then did as Wei Ying had recommended, only to stare when Zidian worked perfectly.

“Why?”

“Why what?” 

“Why is it working, yet won’t go near you?”  Wei Ying closed his eyes and refused to answer.

“Answer me, Wei Wuxain!” Jiang Cheng demanded again, his voice going up a decibel. 

“It’s because it’s a spirit weapon,”  Wei Ying sighed eventually.  The cultivators who had been whispering among themselves in disbelief jerked their heads towards Wei Ying as Jiang Cheng’s face purpled.

“Let’s go, Wen Ning.  I don’t think we are welcome here.  A-Hua, do you want to fly overhead for a bit to hunt or would you prefer to ride on my shoulders for a while?”  The dragoness looked at Wei Ying and chuffed softly which made him smile. “Well alright then, you know what to do.”  She nuzzled against Wei Ying’s chest and then slowly began to shrink.  Once she was roughly the size of a small house cat, she flew up and landed on Wei Ying’s shoulders before snuggling under his hair and draping herself around his neck like a scarf.

“Still acting like a kitten I see,” Wei Ying chuckled even as the dragonette swatted his head with her tail.

“What?” Wei Ying asked when he looked up from stroking her scales and saw everyone staring at him.

“Where did you get a dragon and why is it willing to do that?” One of the younger Yunmeng Jiang Sect disciples asked curiously.

“Wanting one of your own?” Wei Ying countered with a knowing smile which turned into a chuckle as the teen blushed.  “Not going to happen, I’m pretty sure my A-Hua is unique.  Her mother gifted her egg to me as she believed the hatchling inside the egg was dead or close to death anyway.  Something happened shortly after which made me lose control of my qi and it circled through A-Hua’s egg without my realising it.  By the time I realised my qi was circulating within the egg, it was too late.  A-Hua had latched onto it and was using it to make herself strong enough to survive. I know her species used to form binds with Cultivators much like the Jins have with those accursed demons they insist are friendly but…” Wei Ying shrugged and trailed off. Lan Zhan, however, noticed the look Wen Ning was giving Wei Ying.

“But, Young Master Wei, your core…” Wen Ning trailed off looking uncomfortable.  Wei Ying sighed and nodded.

“Yeah, my core was pretty weak and very delicate at that stage.  I’ll explain later if you want.”  

“What do you mean your core was pretty weak and very delicate at that stage ? You’d been developing it since you arrived at Lotus Pier and it was stronger than mine was!” Jiang Cheng demanded loudly.

Wei Ying didn’t look at Jiang Cheng, refusing to answer. A suspicion started to form in Lan Wanji’s mind even as Jiang Cheng went to try and hit Wei Ying only to freeze in surprise when the Ghost General’s quiet voice provided a non-answer.

“You can’t fix a melted core.”

“But Wen Zhuliu melted mine and…” Jiang Cheng trailed off.

“Did you really think Baoshan Sanren lived on a mountain so close to Yiling?” Wen Ning rebutted quietly.  Jiang Cheng’s face slowly purpled till it almost matched his sect robes, however, he found he couldn't form the needed words to question either of them further.  He wasn’t sure he wanted the answers they would give him either.

“Wen Ning,” Wei Ying said quietly, “It doesn’t matter.  I rebuilt my core with the help of my birth mother’s people.  Leave the past in the past and know that almost everything sorted itself out in the end.”

“Are you really Wei Wuxain, the Yiling Patriarch?” The kid who was dressed in gold suddenly spoke up.  Wei Ying sighed.

“Yes.  Look I’m not proud of all my actions before the siege of the burial mounds that ended in my getting thrown back to my birth parents' time, but as much as I want to change things I can’t.  According to Mo Xuányǔ, it’s been thirteen years since that night.  It might seem weird to bring that up but stories evolve rapidly and rumours are seldom accurate.  Remember that before you start trying to make accusations about what I did or didn’t do.”

“Your birth parents were Wei Changze and Cangse Sanren! What nonsense are you spewing now, Wei Wuxain?” Jiang Cheng bit out.

“They weren’t my birth parents, Jiāng Wǎnyín, no matter what anyone else thinks. I do think of them as my parents though.” Wei Ying said quietly, his eyes focusing on some distant point sadly before he shook his head and turned away. As such he didn’t see the look the man he once called brother sent his way. A look that spoke of pain and regret.

“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan called as Wei Ying started to walk away.

“Lan Zhan?”

“Come back to Gusu with us.  We’ll need help with the arm and I know you helped the Juniors from the shadows at Mo Manor.”  

Wei Ying sighed and looked at Wen Ning before looking back at Lan Zhan who simply nodded to show Wen Ning was welcome.

“Alright.  I don’t know how much use I’ll be, as I need to readjust to Sect life again instead of dealing with helping in an infirmary but sure.”

Lan Zhan went to start walking away when one of the junior Lan disciples spoke up.

“Won’t we get into trouble for him being with us, Hánguāng-jūn ”  

“Mn.”

Wei Ying started to laugh.  “Used up your daily word limit Lan Zhan?”

“Wei Ying!”

Wei Ying continued to laugh at the affronted tone in his old friend's voice.  “Ah, Lan Zhan!  It’s good to know some things never change.” Wei Ying smiled brightly as he spoke, even as he ignored the calls from Jiang Cheng to turn around and explain himself.

The rest of the trip to Gusu was spent with Wei Ying chatting happily with two of the Lan Juniors.  Lan Jingyi was the more talkative of the two with Lan Sizhui chipping in happily now and then.  Between the two of them along with what he had learned from Mò Xuányǔ, Wei Ying soon had a fair picture of what happened over the thirteen years he had been away.   Wen Ning stayed quiet for the most part as he too was taking the opportunity to catch up on all he had missed during his years in darkness.  

“Senior Wei?” Lan Sizhui inquired softly.

“Yeah?”

“How come you stayed away for thirteen years?  Why did you let everyone believe you were dead?”

Wei Ying sighed as he noticed Lan Zhan was paying close attention to his answer.  “Do not tell lies. It’s one of the rules written on the wall of discipline at Cloud Recess. Please remember that and know while my story sounds strange, it is the truth.  I will not tell you everything as there are only a few people who will ever get told the full story.  Your Hánguāng-jūn is one of them, should he wish for those details.”  Wei Ying paused to look at their faces and smiled softly as they nodded solemnly.

“While it has been thirteen years for you it has only been a single year for me.  I think, had the ritual I was using to return here not clashed with a ritual someone here was using, I might have returned a year after I vanished.  However, since there was the clash of two rituals, I only arrived in this time period recently.”  

“Wei Ying.”

“Lan Zhan, I will not say which ritual clashed with my own, just that it is one I believe should never have been invented in the first place.  Demonic Cultivation is bad enough but that ritual is on a whole other level.  One I would never venture towards.” Wei Ying said quietly, grief colouring his words.  While he was fairly sure Mò Xuányǔ probably felt relieved to die, Mò Xuányǔ wasn’t much older than Wei Ying currently was.  As such Mò Xuányǔ’s death saddened Wei Ying in a way it wouldn’t sadden others.  

“Explain everything to brother and uncle?” Lan Zhan asked in his normal stilted way of half demands half questions.  

“Yes, Lan Zhan, if I wish to travel to Gusu to see you as regularly as I wish to do, I will need to tell your family everything.  Or as much of it as possible anyway.”  Wei Ying chuckled suddenly.  “Just don’t blame me when Teacher Lan suddenly goes into qi-deviation due to what he is being told!”

“Mn.” Lan Zhan replied but Wei Ying was pleased to note the tips of Lan Zhan’s ears had turned red when Wei Ying had mentioned he wished to be able to travel to Gusu regularly.

Despite his bravado, Wei Ying was struggling to contain his nerves as they got closer to Cloud Recesses. He knew Lan Zhan had noticed but he was uncertain as to whether or not the Lan juniors had.

“Wei Ying.” 

“I’m alright, Lan Zhan, just trying not to let myself panic. It’s been a while since I was last here and let’s be honest, I didn’t leave the best impression. I was rude, arrogant and downright annoying when I was here to study and I wasn’t in a good mental state during the campaign so that doesn't help either.” Wei Ying said with a self-deprecating smile. Lan Zhan looked at him.

“You say it’s only been a year for you but you seem wiser. Talk to brother, he can help.” 

“You seem to be more comfortable with speaking these days.” Wei Ying observed in a quiet tone.

“Had to. Didn’t always have someone who understood.”

Wei Ying nodded in sad understanding, before looking at the wall of rules.

“Is it just me or have more been added since I vanished?” Wei Ying asked in horror.

“There are over 4000 rules on the wall,” Lan Jingyi said with a helpful smile but Wei Ying got the feeling Jingyi knew for another reason.

“And how many times have you had to write them out?” Wei Ying said with a teasing smile.

“Too many,” Jingyi said mournfully before realising what he’d said and staring at Wei Ying in horror. Wei Ying burst out laughing at Jingyi’s answer and exchanged a glance with Lan Zhan who seemed to be hiding a smile if the small upturning at the corner of his mouth was any indication.

“So where shall I be staying and when should we meet with Lan-laoxiansheng and Zewu-Jun?” 

“Jingshi,” Lan Zhan replied calmly, which had the Lan Juniors with them staring in surprise. Wei Ying smiled happily.

“Isn’t that?”

“Mn.” 

“So bold in claiming me, Lan Zhan.” Wei Ying crowed happily.

“Mark your words.”

The Lan juniors watched the scene in front of them in amazement. Just who was this man that had so much control over the virtuous Hánguāng-jūn?

Chapter Text

Walking into the Cloud Recesses again was like taking a trip through memory lane for Wei Ying. Sure not all the buildings were the same as they had been when he’d studied there thanks to the Wens but there was enough that was similar to give him flashbacks. Everywhere he looked he saw impressions of himself goofing off with his siblings or with his friends. He saw himself running down pathways to escape his brother's ire or to join his sister for a meal. He saw himself climbing over walls to escape Lan Zhan or the other Lans on guard duty while he was out after curfew, often with bottles of Emperors Smile or other contraband. Wei Ying sighed. While he knew he couldn’t change the past he also knew he would have to be better, to do better, if he wished to be accepted by his love’s family.

“Wei Ying.” 

Wei Ying turned to see Lan Zhan and the juniors staring at him worriedly.

“Sorry. I got caught up in my memories.” Wei Ying replied sheepishly, not even trying to hide behind a mask. Lan Zhan nodded then turned and started walking away making Wei Ying scramble to catch up to him.   

“Hey, Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, what is the plan for talking to your brother and uncle?” Wei Ying chirped, imitating the way he usually spoke when he was still a guest disciple within Cloud Recesses.

“Will talk to them in the morning. Late now, curfew soon.” Lan Zhan said calmly.

“Do I really have to comply with that Lan Zhan?” Wei Ying replied with a false whine, a small smile still on his lips which Lan Zhan had noticed if the small tick at the end of his lips were any indication.

“Mn.”

“Where have you juniors taken Wen Ning?” Wei Ying suddenly asked.

“Guest quarters. Will sort out details in the morning.” Lan Zhan answered even as something passed over his face. Wei Ying stilled as he caught sight of it. Was Lan Zhan jealous? Truly? Did he dare hope?

“Wei Ying?” 

“Ah, right, sorry Lan Zhan.” Wei Ying said softly and jogged a little to catch up to where his crush had stopped a little way ahead of him. The rest of the walk to the Jingshi went relatively quickly and soon they had settled in and a small meal had been delivered. They ate in silence as was the custom of the Lans but Wei Ying’s thoughts kept going around in circles. Eventually, Wei Ying couldn’t hold in his curiosity any longer.

“Lan Zhan?” 

“Mn?”

“What am I to you?” Wei Ying’s voice was hesitant and quiet as he asked the most burning question in his brain.

“You once referred to me as your soulmate. Nothing has changed.”

Wei Ying’s jaw dropped as tears started to gather in his eyes. “Truly? Lan Zhan, do you truly mean that?” 

“Mn.” Wei Ying opened his mouth to say more but Lan Zhan interrupted him. “Sleep, Wei Ying. Late and tomorrow will be busy. Can talk more later.”

***

Morning arrived all too soon for Wei Ying. With Lan Zhan’s admission that he still saw Wei Ying as his soul mate, Wei Ying had been unable to fall asleep until A-Hua had draped herself across his chest to force him to stop tossing and turning.

“Wei Ying.”

“Ah, Lan Zhan, you’re up!” Wei Ying chirped as he sat up which dislodged A-Hua who grumbled in return. “Oh stop grumbling, little flame, you and I both know you’ll probably spend the day snoozing around my neck!”

They were prevented from speaking further by the arrival of Sizhui.

“Hánguāng-jūn! Come quickly, Lan-laoxiansheng tried to deal with the spirit in the arm we brought back by himself and the bell in the Mingshi hasn’t stopped ringing since!” 

A glance at each other was all the communication Wei Ying and Lan Zhan needed before they were on their feet and moving swiftly towards the Mingshi, Lan Sizhui following them just as quickly. Arriving at the Mingshi lead to both Wei Ying and Lan Zhan sharing a glance before running in to try to tame the arm. As soon as they ran in the door slammed shut behind the two of them, Wei Ying made sure no one else was around and quickly started playing a tune he knew would settle the resentful energy. It seemed to work even though he could see Lan Qiren was starting to stir. For a moment he considered changing how he was playing to make it sound worse but he quickly decided to just keep going as he was. Teacher Lan would know it was him sooner rather than later anyway so why hide it now?

Soon enough the combination of Wei Ying and Lan Zhan had the hand subdued enough that they could safely let others into the room. Wei Ying quickly moved over to teacher Lan and for the first time since he had arrived back, he used the magic he learned from Madam Pomfrey. A quick diagnostic charm had him reaching for a pepper-up potion however a hand gripping his wrist stopped him. Wei Ying looked up.

“Teacher Lan, this will help, I promise.” He said quietly, thinking that’s why his beloved’s uncle was wondering.

  “Am I dead? Are you a ghost coming to punish me for all I’ve done wrong?” Teacher Lan croaked out.

“Teacher Lan! What - why? Why would you ever think that?” Wei Ying spluttered, suitably horrified by the idea. It didn’t take long for his medical training to override his horror though. “No, never mind, that’s not important right now. Please drink this, I know it tastes vile but it will help restore your energy levels. It’s not permanent but it helps I promise.” He said quietly even as he helped the teacher up and steadied him.  

Teacher Lan looked at him blearily before nodding and drinking the vial handed to him only to start spluttering and pulling faces at the taste, unable to maintain the normal Lan discipline. Wei Ying stifled a snort at the steam coming out of Teacher Lan’s ears, carefully keeping his face blank as said teacher glared at him.

“Are you sure you’re not a vengeful ghost here to torture me?” Lan Qiren demanded. 

“I’m no more dead than you or Lan Zhan are, Teacher Lan.” Wei Ying said with an understanding smile. “I promise, I’m not here to haunt anyone nor am I here to cause any mischief, though I can’t promise that won’t happen anyway. I’ll explain everything to you and those you think need to hear the full explanation, but right now we need to concentrate on the arm and the danger it represents.” 

Lan Qiren’s eyes were clearing rapidly as he focused on Wei Ying. 

“So what are you doing here now?” Lan Qiren asked cautiously.

“Not here,” Wei Ying said quietly, letting his eyes flick over everyone that was still hanging around hoping to overhear something interesting despite the rules within Gusu prohibiting gossip. Lan Qiren nodded and returned his attention to the arm. The seal had settled in place however the arm had moved to point at a spot on the wall seemingly at random. It was only when yet another Lan disciple ran in with a report about several watchtowers resonating with resentful energy that Wei Ying figured out what the hand was pointing to. He was about to say his story could wait when Lan Zhan said his name, making him sigh.

“Which is more important, my name and story which is doubtless as corrupted by time as one can make it, or resentful energy which could be causing havoc for people who have done nothing wrong?” He asked in resignation.

“Stalling won’t help you, Wei Wuxain.” Lan Qiren said matter of factly, making Wei Ying sigh and nod.

“Fine, but not here” he reiterated. Lan Zhan and Lan Qiren nodded before Lan Qiren led them to a smaller meeting room which Wei Ying proceeded to silence with as many spells and talismans as he could. He then explained what he had been through in the last year or thirteen years depending on the point of view. 

“You expect us to believe all this?” Lan Qiren demanded once Wei Ying had finished. Wei Ying sighed.

“To be honest, I don’t expect anything Lan-laoxiansheng.” Wei Ying said quietly. “As tempted as I am to use small prank spells to prove to you that what I’m saying about the difference in magic is true, I can’t bring myself to do that to you.” Wei Ying shook his head even as a fond smile passed his lips as he remembered a pair of twins that had challenged him to a prank war while he was at Hogwarts.

“Then how can you prove any of this to us?” Lan Qiren spat.

“Is A-Hua not enough?” Wei Ying asked, his voice still soft though clearly a little rougher now from all the talking he’d done. Something Lan Zhan noticed if the cup of tea that was placed in front of him so suddenly was any indication. Lan Qiren shook his head.

“I have not forgotten the lessons I had which explained spirit animals and their bonds with cultivators. While dragons are no longer seen I knew they had to be around still. As for your age, if that was the next thing you were going to use, we’re cultivators, aging slower if you are powerful is common.”

Wei Ying sighed and closed his eyes in defeat.

“Very well, since the only thing that would prove what I’m saying is the truth is to show you just how different the magic there is, is also something I would rather not reveal if I don’t have to, I guess you’ll just have to trust me. I could switch to the language they use there but you would have no way of knowing if I was making up nonsense words, so there’s that. I have something for Lan Zhan, if he’s willing to accept it, that is.” 

Wei Ying watched as surprise flitted across all three of the Lan’s faces but he kept most of his attention on Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan nodded slowly and Wei Ying gave a small smile before retrieving and opening his trunk once again. To everyone observing Wei Ying it was a surprise to see a different compartment that was shown this time. Reaching in, Wei Ying lifted a beautifully decorated white jade trinket box inlaid with a mother-of-pearl cloud motif. Wei Ying smiled at it before he offered it to Lan Zhan who looked at it in surprise before hesitantly taking it from Wei Ying.

“I know Gusu has rules against excessive gifts, but that box was one of the items recovered from the ruins of my parent's house after they were killed. Family records show that it has been passed down to the firstborn of each generation for quite some time. Who made it and why has been lost to time as the journals that explained those details were destroyed and any word-of-mouth knowledge was lost when Father was killed.” Wei Ying smiled slightly at the surprised look on the gathered Lan’s faces. “As I said to Jiang Cheng, Wei Changze and Cangse Sanren adopted me when they found me on the side of a river where they had set up a camp for the night.” 

Lan Zhan looked at Wei Wing’s face once again letting his fingers trace the cloud inlays before slowly lifting the lid and seeing the small pendant made of mutton-fat Jade nestled inside. His fingers trembled as he slowly lifted it out so the others could see it. 

“That piece is one of the first I commissioned for you. The clouds are meant to represent Gusu, the Orchids are to show there is always more to learn and the bunnies, well, how could I not?” Wei Ying said with a soft smile watching the emotions shimmer in his beloved's eyes. He hadn’t noticed how still the elder two Lans had become. 

“Before you ask why I had it commissioned, it was because one of the people I met during my time away had an ability that she couldn’t control. She wasn’t purely a human, her grandmother was a Veela which is a type of magical being. They appear human for the most part with very fair skin and gold hair and are extremely attractive to those who like women. While she did have human blood in her, Fleur still possesses that beauty and fluid movement that had most of the population of the school drooling whenever she walked passed. When she noticed it wasn’t affecting me she made the effort to sit with me more often and we became friends. We got talking about why I didn’t react the way others did around her and well, that pendant was the result.” 

Wei Ying had looked down as he rambled out the explanation, raising his hand to rub the back of his neck. This action had dislodged A-Hua who slid down into his lap and glared at him. 

“Sorry, Little Flame!” He said softly before reaching into her compartment of his trunk and pulling out a piece of dried meat for her to chew on, which she did but only after flicking her tail across his face in annoyance. 

“Wei Ying.” 

Wei Ying looked up at the sound of Lan Zhan calling his name, only to blush again at the intense look in his eyes. Wei Ying opened his mouth to release the babble of words that were building up in his throat only for Lan Qiren to speak first.

“If this woman had such a skill, why didn’t you, a known flirt, react to her?”

“Her gifts don’t work on those who are either not attracted to women or have someone already in their heart. Since I am a known flirt and can appreciate the female form it didn’t take much to make me realise that it was because I already loved someone. From there she helped guide me through my own feelings to figure out who it is.” Wei Ying replied with a soft smile, gently patting the now-content dragon in his lap. “I think she liked the fact that we could just talk to each other without there being an expectation of anything more.”