The Bloody Baron
The Bloody Baron
While it was a pity to have a girl who wanted to do so much at school only be able to participate in low energy activities due to her disposition, Oz felt that his own endeavours were much more important still. If he were to come across a fix in the future though he would be happy to help. The Greengrass's are a family that spans back generations after all and to visit along with help such a family could lead to some nice benefits. Oz also knew that truly Astoria still had plenty of time to live. In the canon after all she died at the age of 37, by the time she's nearing her death Oz felt he would have a solution in hand already, maybe even way before hand so he felt no need to rush such an endeavour either.
Eventually while Daphne and Oz were reading books about bloodline curses along with any other material Daphne could present to Oz, Harry also joined the duo.
"Oz? It's rare to see you around here at this time... What are you and Daphne reading about?".
Daphne hearing Harry's question reflectively looked at Oz, peering back at her Oz nodded to her signalling that now was the time to explain herself. Sure enough after she told Harry what she was after he jumped at the chance to help her as well as saying that Cho, Luna and Hermione would also be a great help considering that they were all brainboxes to some extent.
One thing Oz couldn't wrap his head around though was why Daphne even hesitated in the first place to ask for help. Was it that her pride denied her from speaking about what was truly going on or was there something else under the surface. Before Oz could think on these points, he noticed how filled the Slytherin common room was and to the far end of the room he spotted a certain ghost who was striking up conversations with any student he could.
.
"Oz, The Barons here now".
Daphne alerted Oz of the ghosts presence as Oz nodded. Looking over at the Baron, Oz was reminded of Helena's story.
'Considering how he died and what he did before he died its safe to assume he has a few screws loose... I'll have to coax the information out of him carefully...'.
Oz sat patiently with Harry and Daphne the latter of whom were still reading books about curses and bloodlines. Oz feigned reading however in actuality he was sensing out the ghost waiting for it to start approaching his area. After some time the Baron eventually started to head over towards the table the trio were on.
"Ahhh! If it isn't little Greengrass and Potter. It's rare to see you two so heavily engrossed in books... Bloodlines and bloodline curses ey? What an interesting subject that is!".
Oz's first impression of the Baron was... somewhat eccentric. He seemed to be incredibly talkative and even nosey to a point. Considering the fact that he was locked down in the dungeons most of the time he probably finds himself to be incredibly bored. Anything even if its slight thats interesting to him he would pursue.
Daphne and Harry lifted their heads up and simply nodded at the Baron before reading again. Seeing this Oz gathered that the Baron was the type of character as well that would not stop talking if you started a conversation with him. Feeling out his characteristics to this point, Oz felt that it was time to make his move.
"Oh! Where are my manners, I didn't even see you had a new friend with you two. Looking at you... you seem much older than them. How come I've never seen you before down here? Your face certainly looks might familiar though... Why can't I put my finger on it?".
The Baron seemed to suddenly burst out into his own monologue as he saw Oz sat with Harry and Daphne. Acting in the same way as Harry and Daphne here would probably lead to the Baron losing interest so he decided to start talking.
"You're the Bloody Baron correct? Although I've been in this school three years now I find it stifling to hang around here at this time as im not really good with crowds. That probably explains why we've never truly met before".
The Baron looked down at Oz with curiosity filling his eyes. A slight glee seemed to emanate from him as he realised Oz was actually down to have a conversation.
"Ah I see! This place can get bothersome at times... I only ever spend an hour or so here due to how congested it feels! Yes yes… I certainly see where you're coming from. The question I'd like to ask you now though is what is your name?".
Oz simply nodded at the Baron's response before replying.
"My names Oz Ambrosius".
The Barons eyes seemed to gleam with a slight uncomfortableness when he realised who Oz was before reverting back to his usual curiosity. Normally most people wouldn't catch such an expression especially when it was a ghost however Oz's eyes were special along with his ability to read people.
"So you're the descendant of that guy ey? Yes yes I certainly see that man in you! The eyes are certainly similar as well...".
The Baron seemed to lose himself in his thoughts as he recalled Merlin. Hearing his response Oz realised that the Baron did indeed know of Merlin to an extent. Considering who the Baron was though and what he was like Oz imagined that his knowledge was probably no way near what Helena held. However this situation allowed him a way to talk with the Baron and lead to conversation along.
"You knew my ancestor when you were alive? Would you mind talking to me a bit longer about him? I've been searching up all I can about him but information on him is so vague that its hard to piece it together".
Hearing Oz's query the Baron's talkative nature started to kick in. Hearing Oz asking about his past and his connection with Merlin he seemed ready to pounce on the idea of talking longer about it all.
"I'd be happy to talk to you young Ambrosius! Let's see... How about we head to somewhere quieter first, with how cluttered and loud it is here you may not hear everything I have to say!".
Nodding at the ghost, Oz casted his eyes towards Daphne and Harry who seemed to be listening in on the conversation a bit. Turning back he replied:
"Sounds like a good idea, my dorm room should be empty. We can talk there".
Oz got out of his seat as he replied back to the Baron, starting to head his way towards his dorm. The Baron promptly followed behind. As Oz walked through the Slytherin common room a lot of the students gave him weird looks as he led the Baron somewhere. With the student base knowing how annoying the Baron could be, it made no sense that someone as anti-social as Oz would actively seek him out for a chat.
As Oz arrived at his room he entered and waited for the Baron to pass through the door.
"Even though I'm a ghost you should at least show the courtesy to leave the door open!".
Oz chuckled a bit at the Baron's protest.
"I'm sorry Baron, I only closed it on the way in so as not to let any sound in while we have our conversation".
As the Baron listened to Oz's reply he nodded his head in affirmation to Oz's reasoning. He slowly brought himself into Oz's dorm and glided around looking at all the different areas in his room. Whilst the Baron was distracted Oz walked over to the door of his room and secretly pointed his wand at the door.
A slight flash emitted from his wand as the door was charmed. Wanting to be safe Oz decided to place the 'Imperturbable' charm on the door as well as casting 'Colloportus' so that nobody could enter for a while.
'In hindsight I should have placed that charm a lot sooner...'.
With the charm placed, Oz put his wand away as he walked back over to the Baron who was looking at the books on Oz's desk.
"Arithmancy, Divination, Care of Magical Creatures... You seem to be learning everything you can here at school aren't you! You certainly are a descendant of that man... certainly so...".
The Baron seemed to lose himself in his thoughts again as Oz walked over to a chair in his room. Getting himself comfortable Oz decided to ask the Baron.
"You're the second ghost I've asked about my ancestor so far. Thank you for allowing me some of your time".
Snapping out of his daze the Baron looked at Oz and replied with a hearty laugh.
"Its no problem Ambrosius! No problem at all!".
"Where do I begin... Your ancestor was an impressive talent in our house. Me and him always seemed to be competing in all the subjects we had together. While his knowledge was definitely impressive, mine was nothing to scoff at as well with me coming out on top more times than him in the long run! One day though... He seemed to vanish from the school. I asked around the house (Slytherin) about him however not many people knew him at all. Truth be told even I didn't know much about him, seeing him as a rival mainly that helped further my own skills. It was a shame to let such a talented man disappear...".
Listening to the Baron's story about Merlin some of it coincided with Helena's own story. However...
'He seems to be pretty good at bullshitting...'.
Oz could tell that the Baron was trying to spin a narrative that he and Merlin were close in terms of power and knowledge. Anyone with half a brain though would know that that was obviously not the case. Merlin probably didn't even know who the Baron was. While Oz felt compelled to contest the Baron he knew that staying on his good side would be best for now. Seeing that Oz was showing attention to him, the Baron decided to ask Oz a question.
"Now that I've answered your question would you answer something I'd like to know?".
"By all means Baron. What would you like to ask me?".
"Who was this other ghost you met before me that gave information to you about your ancestor, Merlin?".
Seeing the desperation and longing in the ghosts eyes in front of him, Oz couldn't help but crack a smile.
'Looks like this will be much easier than I thought'.