Harry Potter and The Heir of the Shadow Throne

Zephyr lay in bed that night, staring at the ceiling of the Gryffindor dormitory. The soft snores of his dormmates filled the room, but his mind was anything but relaxed.

He was supposed to be having the 'best years of his life' here, but instead, his wand had developed a creepy habit of whispering ominous things at night. Wonderful. Just what he needed a magical stalker attached to his hand. The soft snores of his dormmates filled the room, but his mind was far from rest. His fingers hovered over his wand, still warm from earlier.

It had called to him again.

Not the castle. Not some ghost or hidden force lurking in the shadows.

The wand itself.

''Riddle''

The word still echoed in his mind, but now, it didn't feel like a name. It felt like an unfinished sentence, like a message cut off before it could be completed.

But what was it trying to tell him?

He let out a quiet breath and turned to the side, gripping the wand lightly. He could feel it thrumming faint, almost like a pulse, as if it were alive.

This wasn't normal. Even Harry's wand hadn't behaved like this in the books. Wands were powerful, but they didn't whisper names. They didn't react this personally.

A part of him wanted to experiment, to push the limits of whatever this connection was. But the other part the smarter part knew he wasn't ready yet.

Tomorrow. He'd start digging into this tomorrow.

In the morning at Hogwarts

Breakfast in the Great Hall was a grand spectacle, but Zephyr could barely focus on the enchanted ceiling or the floating candles. His mind was stuck on the same loop from the night before. He pushed his food around on his plate, barely eating, as Ron talked animatedly about Fred and George's latest prank on Percy.

"You alright?" Harry's voice broke through his thoughts.

Zephyr blinked, then glanced up at the boy across from him. He looked genuinely concerned.

"Yeah," Zephyr lied. "Just thinking."

"Dangerous habit," Ron muttered through a mouthful of toast.

Hermione, who had just sat down, raised an eyebrow. "Thinking is not dangerous, Ronald. What's wrong with you?"

Zephyr let out a chuckle despite himself. "He's got a point. The last time I started thinking too much, I nearly tripped over my own feet."

Harry smirked but didn't look convinced. "You sure? You've been quiet."

Zephyr hesitated, then changed the subject. "So, first day of classes. Think we'll survive?"

"Survive?" Ron scoffed. "You haven't seen Snape yet."

Hermione huffed. "Professor Snape. Honestly, you should show some respect."

"Zephyr grinned. "I would, but my survival instincts disagree. Knowing exactly what he does to students who cross him, I'd rather stay on guard than count on his respect."

That earned a snort from Harry, but before Hermione could argue, the owls arrived, swooping down with morning mail. Dozens of letters and newspapers fluttered through the air, but Zephyr barely noticed

Because the moment he reached for his goblet, his wand pulsed.

It was happening again.

Zephyr kept his face neutral, but his grip on the goblet tightened. The pulsing wasn't random. It happened when he was focused, when his mind drifted toward the wand's mysteries. It was almost like it was trying to get his attention.

His heart pounded, but he forced himself to stay calm. He couldn't react, not here, not now. But one thing was certain he was no longer just holding a wand.

He was holding something that knew itself. It happened when he was focused, when his mind drifted toward the wand's mysteries. It was almost like the wand was trying to get his attention.

The problem was, he had no idea what it wanted.

Could a wand want something?

Before he could dwell on it, a familiar voice broke through his thoughts.

"Zephyr?"

Harry was watching him closely, green eyes sharp with curiosity.

"You sure you're alright?" he asked again, quieter this time, as if he didn't want the others to hear.

Zephyr exhaled slowly, forcing a smirk. "You really do have a hero complex, don't you? What's next, planning to single-handedly defeat an evil wizard before year seven?"

Harry blinked. "What?"

"Checking in on the lonely, brooding kid who isn't eating his food? What's next, offering life advice and a motivational speech?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Just making sure you're not about to pass out on us."

Ron snickered. "Yeah, well, if he does, at least let him wait until after Potions. Snape would probably dock points for it."

Harry rolled his eyes, but Zephyr could tell he wasn't letting it go. He was observant more than most gave him credit for. It was only a matter of time before he started asking real questions.

Before that happened, Zephyr needed to figure things out himself.

"I appreciate the concern, but I'm fine," Zephyr said, grabbing a piece of toast to prove his point. "Now, let's talk about something less stressful like how we're all about to get wrecked in Potions."

Ron groaned. "Ugh. First class of the year, and we're stuck with Snape. Just great. If I fail, tell Mum I fought bravely.""

Hermione perked up. "It's not just Snape. We'll be with the Slytherins, too."

"Brilliant," Zephyr muttered. "Malfoy and Snape in the same room. I wonder who'll win Most Punch able Face this year."

Harry and Ron snickered, but Hermione frowned disapprovingly. "You shouldn't judge people so quickly."

Zephyr gave her a look. "You judged me within five seconds of meeting me."

Hermione hesitated, then huffed. "Well, that's different."

Ron smirked. "Sounds like a double standard to me."

Before Hermione could argue, the sound of the bell chiming through the castle signaled the start of the school day.

Ron groaned dramatically. "Great, time to meet our doom. Anyone want to take bets on how long before Snape takes points off us?"

Zephyr grinned. "I give it ten minutes. Five if he sees me first."

"Alright, let's get this over with," Zephyr sighed, grabbing his books.

As they stood up to leave, he felt it again.

Another pulse. Stronger this time.

And just for a second, as his fingers brushed against the wand in his pocket

He swore he heard a whisper.

''Find it''.

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**Could you spare a power stone to boost my magic?**