Surviving Times

Theodeore Nott's POV:

Growth is painful, change is painful too but nothing is more painful as staying stuck where you don't belong. Like in Sydney. Where getting a decent black coffee was harder than convincing Daphne to stop eating strawberries. And Daphne not eating strawberries eight times a day is impossible.

But guess what. I somehow managed to live a day without a good coffee. I love coffee, and I believed that you can never hate something you love. But. I can't be certain about it anymore. I found there's actually a coffee that I can hate.

And it was shocking to me. It felt like the world around me was not the same anymore. The moment I sipped the coffee served at the beach by the Sydney shores, I unearthed a few facts that would haunt for the rest of my life.

One, there exists a coffee which I would hate. This one, I… can accept.

Two, that I can hate something I love dearly. This is the one troubling me the most. In my nine years of life (if you take away the time spent in VR), I never felt so terrified.

I mean, I never disliked coffee. Even if it's just a bad one. I know I'm just overreacting and making a big deal out of some bad black coffee. But when I think deeper (which I do a lot by the way), it's not just about coffee anymore.

It's about the possibility of how I can despise anything I can love. Like my friends. I don't know why I'm even thinking about it in the first place. Nonetheless, the chance of me having even a bit of loathing towards those three was scaring the soul out of my body. It was dreadful. After one thought, many thoughts, horrible ones came to my mind, each increasing the sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Forcefully, I tried shutting these thoughts away. Occlumency, though not the most challenging thing to learn, was worth it. Finally, my emotions weren't out of control like a swarm of pixies. They're like a bunch of pixies cramped inside a cage now. Once let out, they'd make an appalling mess.

Let's not think about it. I need to meet up with those three within 15 minutes. None of them are patient, well except Mia and Draco.

I sat in the cab and asked him to take me to the address I received. The cab driver gave me a look, but started driving anyway.

I tried to appear normal by the end of the ride. I paid the cab and got out of it with my briefcase. Looking at my destination, I fathomed why the driver gave me a 'look.'

Because I stood in front of 'the' Gladesville Mental Hospital, in all of its glory.

The driver must've mistaken me for a lunatic, as I'm certain I looked like one when I sat in his cab. I looked catatonic and looney and asked to be dropped at a Mental Hospital.

I can merely shrug and move on. To think this place would be an entrance to the Australian Wizarding World... The world's crazy but I appreciate it nevertheless.

Alright, this place does indeed make a suitable choice. No need to use confundus on anyone from the asylums. Because they don't need one. Silently, I stepped on the staircase that was too broken to be used and viola, I see no more no-majs.

Closing my eyes, I tried sensing my friends. I sense Mia and Draco, sitting inside of what I guess is a bar. And I thank every Australian Oborignal Deity that it's not a cafe. I entered the bar and sat along with them.

"What's wrong with you, mate?" Draco asked me, giving me an odd look.

"Is it that obvious?" I asked in return.

"Just like the intentions of the Lord of Light." Mia said without even looking at me as she continued petting Gresil (in a cat from).

I rolled my eyes at her. Everyone (only the not stupid ones of course) knows that Dumbledore's intentions were anything but obvious. But I can't deny that currently I'm like him. Putting up a show that everything's alright, which as usual failed to deceive my friends.

"Sigh… It's nothing much." I say to them.

"Then why do you look like the world's about to end?" Draco snorted at me.

"The world might as well end today."

"And what made you think like that? Let me guess. You started accepting puberty." A new voice spoke. The owner of the voice habitually had the eternal air of mischief and penchant for chaos. Though all of it was well hidden thanks to her innocent face (which is by default).

I cursed my misfortune. Couldn't she like, come a bit late?

"Nothing that concerns you, Daphne. I merely had a bad coffee, that's all." I said, in a vain effort to hide my scowl.

"Oh dear. You finally understand that coffee can be bad. It might really be the end of the world now." She said with a mock gasp.

I really couldn't resist scowling now.

"Enough chit chat. Now since all of us here, we better start moving. It's better to get there before the night." Mia broke a typical argument from happening.

"Right, let's go now. I can't wait to see Kata Tjuta." Draco chimed in, trying to soothe atmosphere. Well, more like trying to stop Daphne and me from taunting each other. And both of us were not in a good mood.

We port-keyed to Kata Tjuta. Sometime later we met our muggle pilot and guides. We toured the muggle counterpart of the place and the next day, John, our pilot dropped as at our 'destination' and left.

Thankfully, there weren't many people coming here. Hence, this place was… desolate. A very ideal condition for what we're about to do.

Draco pulled out his favorite gloves and put them on. They were inscribed with powerful transmutation circles, I can only dream of utilizing. I'm a bit envious. Draco was the only one who was good in the 'alchemy' Mia taught us. He literally left Daphne and me in dust. I can only transmute with the circles I draw myself and that alone was quite tiring. But on the other hand, I was good in transmuting flames, water, the wind, etc. But to my frustration, Mia and Draco can do them like it's no big deal.

As for Daphne, she s.u.c.k.e.d in alchemy and potioneering as much as I do. Only if compare ourselves to those two that is.

But then again, she was skilled in rituals, spellwork, transfiguration. She even managed to establish contracts with celestial spirits. It was nice, summoning spirits to fight along with you.

Let's not talk about Mia. She's an all rounder and can make everyone look insignificant.

Despite all of this, I'm quite sure I'm not weak. I'm able to do magic with devastating power as well. Mia liked to call it Elemental Magic. Well, it fits the description perfectly.

As the name suggests, I can manipulate the elements around me. With or without using transmutation circles.

I, Daphne and Draco can easily take on few death eaters while eating tacos and not spill anything while doing so. Essentially, we're twice as good as any a.d.u.l.t mage out there. All thanks to the years of training from Mia in the VR. The VR world as she dubbed it, was… something that makes me speechless every time I think about it, so I'll not think about it.

Back to reality, me and my friends, are over here in some desolate rock formations due to a critical matter (only Mia knows the exact details).

"So, what are we doing here again?" Draco asked.

"More importantly, what are we fighting again?" I asked.

"Well, as I said we are her to train and select a location to open a new Magnolia Branch if it's possible." Mia said.

"Don't you think we have enough branches in Australia? Melbourne and Blue Mountains. They are doing just fine." Daphne said the first useful thing since we got here. She must've had her dose strawberries. No wonder she's not unpleasant.

"Those two are doing good, but I want to set up a branch for some unique purposes. I'll inform you of the details later."

"Fine. As you wish." Draco casually shrugged.

"Okay. So, you three take a look around this place. Be careful. I've heard this place has a history. A bad one."

"How bad?" The three of us ask her together.

"A level of you-may-need-to-face-ancient-tribal-magic bad." She stated calmly.

"So you're saying we might be confronted with some oboriginal magical sentients who we have no clue about?" I asked as I grieved for myself, along with a sigh of course.

"If you manage to take care of all the creatures here and stumble across ancient temple wrecks, yes you might."

"..." I want to cut open and see what's going inside her head. How can she not tell us any of this before? Then again, it's Mia we're talking about.

And she's a sadist. She does things like this all the time. Her excuse would that: 'We need to be prepared for anything, so don't expect everything to be served to you on a silver platter. Try taking measures on your own. I've never stopped you guys from that.'

In short, she'd take us on a trip to hell without a word. And we can't do anything about it. I mean, after coming out alive from every trip, our strength increased.

Not just strength, our instincts, combat abilities, judgement, survival skills, etc. Sure, we shed a layer of skin through every adventure but also gain something that's always worth it.

Like the last time in Japan, I was able to learn how to use Elemental magic, despite the fact that I almost died.

"Okay, we'll take care of anything abnormal. What are you going to do then, Mia?" Draco asked while he transmuted some rocks into hand grenades. Looking back, this guy is most adaptable one among us. He never questioned and faced the situation without complaining. Daphne would follow the course as would I. The three of us know that Mia would never let us die. We trust her with our lives. We look at her, expecting her reply.

"Me? I'm thinking about dealing with some Antipodean Opaleyes. I think they make excellent guards to the new branch. They're native too."

I forget that Mia's thoughts never matched my wavelength. Neither Daphne's nor Draco's.

She's insane but so are we.