Curious to Know Why | Damian/Asric

Damian made his way to the headmaster's office. Mostly, he just wanted to see the man. He only really got to see and talk to his mentor in lessons, so he wanted to talk to him when there wasn't something else going on.

There was one other matter, though. A question that Damian had been wanting to ask since he had first met Asric Chaos.

Damian Gray was curious to know why.

Today Asric was in the best of moods, he just couldn't believe his luck from last night. He was definitely glad he had been having sleeping problems recently and today you would never have known how tired he really was. He placed the last bit of paperwork aside and sighed in relief, he'd been letting it pile up for weeks and weeks and he'd finally got caught up.

He looked up at the sound of a knock on the door and smiled as he raised his wand to open the door. "Oh hello son what can i do for you?" He asked tapping the paperwork with his wand so it all disappeared. "You know pause that and come in and take a seat, i'll be with you in a second." He said moving over to the cupboard to make himself a drink. His hand hovered over the firewhiskey before moving onto the bottles of butterbeer. "Want a butterbeer Damian?" He asked holding a bottle up to him, today he would change his life around. He'd decided to cut down on the drinking and he gave up cigars for the really stressful days.

"So what can i do for you?" He repeated.

Damian grinned at his mentor. The man seemed to be in a good mood. "Yes, please," he replied to the offer for a butterbeer. The boy took a seat, gazing around the man's office.

"Well, mostly, I just wanted to talk. We're always in lessons when I see you you," Damian said. "Oh - and Theo wants me to go home this summer." The boy grimaced. "I told her I would, but only 'cos she begged me." In truth, not a lot of begging had to be done on the part of Theolynne to convince Damian to do anything - the boy practically worshiped his sister.

"Also, sir... I've been wondering..." The boy paused to think of how he wanted to word his inquiry. "Why did you pick me to be your apprentice? Not that I don't like it - it's brilliant! Wouldn't wanna do anything else. It's just... how did you know you'd want me for your apprentice? You'd never met me." His brow furrowed as he stared questioningly up at the man. He'd pondered the question a lot and had failed to come up with a plausible explanation.

He smiled and pulled out two bottle of butter beer and handed one to his apprentice. "There we go." He said whilst he sat back into his seat, soon he would go on a hunt. He just seemed to be in the hunting mood, which wasn't really a new feeling it just felt different today for some reason.

"Oh well you are always welcome to my office Damian, my doors will always be open for those that need me but for you and Seth well you guys can pop in and chat when you like. In hunting terms i am your father." He smirked taking a sip of his butterbeer.

"Oh really? You don't seem to pleased to be going back home, is there something i should know?" He asked. "I could always make up a lesson? Well we do have lessons over the holidays because it allows us to travel elsewhere but i could accidently add one that just happens to clash with christmas." He shrugged. "Wouldn't be a problem, but i think i may have found someone to share christmas with this year so the lessons will not be crossing with that day." He smirked, he hadn't asked her yet but he did intend to.

He smiled and placed his bottle on the desk. "Well Damian there comes a time in every mans life... nah im only kidding. I saw potential in you Damian and you know why i saw potential?" He asked leaning fowards in his seat. "I saw the anger in your eyes and i knew this would be the job for you. Tell me Damian have you heard of the silver serpent?" He asked.

Damian accepted the butterbeer with a grateful smile. He shook his head at the man's question. "Just the stupid muggles," he said with a sigh which suggested dealing with them was quite an imposition, indeed. Likely, he would be spending the majority of the summer indoors or avoiding the other kids in his neighborhood

"I'll definitely spend next Christmas here, though," Damian said decisively. "Last Christmas was boring - and the stupid neighbors kept talking about how 'horrible' I am on the walk in front of our house. Never mind, my parents asking if they should've let me stay at school. Wish they would've. I'd stay with you this summer, like you said Seth and I could, but Theo would be really disappointed. You know how girls can be."

He scrunched his brows at Asric's comment about having someone to share Christmas with - who thought of Christmas so early in the year, anyway? "You mean, like a girlfriend?" Damian asked, donning that expression of disgust which could only be achieved by boys who had yet to think of girls in such a way.

The boy leaned forward in his seat, as well, mirroring the man's movement. His blue eyes went wide and a smile pulled at his lips. He would prove the man right - he would be the best apprentice he could want, even if it meant Seth would be his worst.

Slowly, Damian shook his head once more. "Haven't heard of it, sir," he replied, eyed bright with curiosity.

"They still giving you trouble?" He asked, there wasn't much he could do about them because he couldn't exactly go and scare every muggle in the area around the boys house but he could always put up shields to block the muggles out, kinda like making the house sound proof to the outside world. No sound from the outside would reach the ear of those in the house and no sound from the inside would reach those on the outside.

He nodded looking into the bottle at the liquid. "Christmas here is always better apparently, maybe its because you have chosen who to spend it with because we can't all have the best family can we? Some of us are just lucky i suppose." He shrugged, he had a good family once upon a time, he had a twin brother and they were inseperable until Asric got his letter to hogwarts and his brother didn't. Things just got worse from there after his apprentice training.

"Your sister is always welcome to visit seeing as she was one of my professors here. I'm not one to seperate families anyway, because believe it or not they are important. Some of us just chose to chose our families rather than stick with the ones we are born into. You and Seth are lucky because in this profession you consider all the other hunters family, i don't think there is another profession where you get so close relationships formed." He said taking a quick drink of his butterbeer before placing it on the table.

He threw his head back and laughed, it felt good to laugh like this. He hadn't done it in a while. "I'll talk to you in a few years time and you'll soon change your expression. Because there will come a time when you find a girl you like but ill be here to point you in the right direction." He smirked, he loved it when kids were at this age. They made things seem so much more fun.

"Good then it means we're doing our job right." He smiled, now he had to think. This was always the hardest bit to think of because they had always been told not to metion this to anyone but now he had to. "The Silver serpent is an organisation you and Seth will be joining. Remember my brothers?" He asked. "They too are part of the organisation. There are always 5 people in each generation selected to do the work John Knight wanted to be done. John was sick and tired of all the men out there committing vile crimes like rape, murder, domestic abuse anything along the same lines. So he put together a group to take care of the filth out there and he named them the silver serpents after a group Satan himself put together. Now don't get me wrong we don't worship satan in anyway, but we do send people to hell which is what the original silver serpents did." He explained.

"Some would say we are assassins, but we are much more than that. We kill with for a purpose, assassins kill for money. We do get paid though, people know about us but they dont know about the organisation. They just think we are fussy assassins." He said scratching behind ghosts ears.

"The group consists of five brothers... and sisters." He added on for for his own sisters sake. "But women in the group are rare, very rare in fact there has only ever been one woman in the group since it began, but sadly she died. Each member has their own apprentice to take over when they retire. But sadly two of our numbers have died, meaning me and Hunter, the Professor of hunting at Durmstrang have to take on two apprentices." He explained.

"Now you're probably wondering why i travel around with a dire wolf by my side. Ghost here is what's known as a Dæmon. They become your protector if you like. Each hunter when ready are given a wolf, now as you probably know dire wolves are extinct so they aren't born they are created when your soul accepts and takes on the challenge. But only when you are ready will they show up. Because if you die your Dæmon also dies but if your Dæmon dies you survive but a part of you will always be missing. I've seen hunters kill themselves because they could live without their Dæmon, which is why Ghost is never out of my sight." He explained patting the wolf on the head for good measure.

"A lot to take in i know but do you have any questions?" He asked.

Damian shrugged. "If it's not the neighbors, it's my parents acting like they understand," he said. "They think they do, but they don't. They can't.

"She does, sometimes," the boy stated. "And I see her in Hogsmeade almost every week. She's busy with her new job, though. She promised to spend lotsa time with me this summer, so being at home probably won't be too bad. I'll just do a lot of studying, probably."

He squinted skeptically. Girls were okay, but to actually like them like that? Seriously, he couldn't see the attraction. J.J. was alright, but he'd never want to kiss her or hold her hand. That was just... weird.

Damian's eyes grew wider and wider as Asric told him about the Silver Serpents - they sounded brilliant, a means to make a real change in the world. Only one question occurred to him.

"Wh-what if we're not good enough?" he asked, unusually insecure in his capabilities as he remembered he still rather recent fight with Seth. Asric had been really furious and disappointed with them, and Damian knew the whole thing had been mostly his fault. "What if... you decide not to teach us, anymore?"

That would be horrible - Damian had already learned so much and it was just the beginning. The thought of not succeeding... it was too horrible to even dwell on.

He nodded. "I can't pretend to understand because i honestly don't, i grew up knowing what i was going to be because both my parents were magical but i can understand them acting like they understood. Hunting was my problem becuase none of the understood what i was going through although they pretended they did. You and Seth, im afraid ive been going easy on you. Whether that is a good or bad thing we will find out later on." He said.

"Oh good keeping contact with family members is very important in times like these. This is a horrible time to be a kid, i must admit. It's almost as bad as being a muggleborn back when Voldemort was alive. Thank god for Harry Potter that is all i can say."

He rubbed his eyes and looked up at the boy. "You questioning my judgement Damian?" He asked sitting back in his chair. "I chose you because i saw potential, we don't make mistake because we are taught to look out for the things others wouldn't. I saw something in you that day and i stand by my decision." He said taking a quick swig of his drink.

"When a master drops his apprentice its not only the apprentice that looks bad. The master is looked down upon for failing to spread his knowledge. I will not give up on you and Seth, because its more than just my reputation on the line."

Damian shook his head. "No, sir!" he denied. "It's just..." The boy trailed off, listening as the man continued, then nodded slowly.

"I'll keep working hard, sir - I'll do better, even!" he vowed. "I will be the best ever. You'll see." Damian never wanted to give the man any reason to question his decision. He wanted the man to be proud of him, and for that the boy was willing to do almost anything. Asric would know that he had chosen the best - Damian was determined to prove it.

A thought suddenly struck him, though. "Sir, I..." Damian spoke quietly. His gaze dropped as a bitter shame washed over him. "I don't think I apologized... about the fight with Seth over last break, I mean. I-I didn't to hurt him an-and I'm sorry I made you ashamed of me." The boy's voice choked up for a moment and he had to swallow before he could finish. "I'm really sorry."

He nodded, "Just do your best that is all i ask. If you put one hundred percent into your training you will be one hell of a hunter." He said. "That is all i ask, if you can give me that then i will be happy. A hunter is known for his patience and his skill and im known as one of the best so no matter how long it takes i will continue until you and seth are both ready to join the order."

He shook his head and looked down into his drink. "Don't bring it back up again Damian. It's not a good subject for me to think about." He said getting to his feet to get a new bottle of butterbeer even though his wasn't yet empty. "It's fine just dont let it happen again, because i really wont be so forgiving. Family is very important."

"It won't happen again," Damian murmured meekly. It wasn't a very good topic for him, either. Sure, he could laugh off how stupid the reason for the fight with Seth had been, but it still really bothered him. Having been is so little control of himself bothered him.

Staring at his butterbeer, the boy decided it was time for a change of subject. Damian scrunched up his nose. "It's only just got to be spring," he began. "How come you're already making plans for Christmas? Have you been ensorcelled?"

"Good i should hope not because i wont hesitate to drop you and Sethand when that happens i will have to kill you both." He said drinking more of his butterbeer.

He chuckled. "Find me in a few years time when you find a girl you like, we'll talk then." He smirked, he hadn't felt so happy and that must all be down to Sophia. "Besides its never to early to plan ahead. You never know something could come up before i got chance to make plans, at least now if i plan ahead im giving myself plenty of time to reschedule things." He smiled.

Damian nodded in understanding. Asric had made that much clear when he first took Damian and Seth on as his apprentices, so it came as no surprise.

The boy elected not to comment further on the subject of girls - it was just too strange. He knew he'd never like any girl that way. He rose to his feet with a sigh.

"Guess I'd better go do my homework, now," he said, then grinned. "I can't wait for our next lesson, sir!" They always learned something interesting or useful.

"Bye, sir." Damian paused at the door to wave.