If Wangji had to describe this place in one word, it would be loud.

Not loud in terms of volume, but loud in terms of decorations, in its personality, in its oddities. There were just so many bits and bobs all around every inch of this stone fortress. An ugly-looking statue of what looked like some sort of winged demon said good morning to him. He said good morning back, if only out of politeness, and the thing seemed somewhat pleased with his manners.

But it still didn't explain why he just said good morning to a statue... Although he supposed he had seen a lot weirder.

There was just so much to see, and he was sure this place was at least twice, no, three times the size of Cloud Recesses. That didn't include the massive lake and rolling hills he saw out of one of the windows. It was just so different from Cloud Recesses. Lan Qiren believed that a learning atmosphere should have little to no distractions, be it decorations or noise. Hogwarts seemed to be the exact opposite.

The grand arches of each hallway were so high, that Wangji had to crane his neck up to look at them. His new shoes made a click-clack sound that he was sure his uncle would have hated as the noise echoed through the stone fortress. He left his hair out to flow freely down his back.

It had grown quite a bit since he was here and was well past his waist. He was sure he looked rather unkempt, but he just didn't have any motivation to either trim it or tie it up. It just didn't seem worth it at all. Nothing seemed worth it at all,

He found it a little bit...odd. If a stranger had shown up half dead on the doorstep of Cloud Recesses, he was sure that they would be treated with the utmost suspicion. They probably would not even get so much as a gauze bandage until their identity was confirmed.

And yet here he was, with soft silk bandages, warm clothes and a belly full of food, wandering unattended around this stone fortress of a school.

The owl-shaped light fixtures watched his every move, wonder and intrigue in their golden filigree eyes. Wangji was certain he was their move once or twice. They probably did.

All the constant movement and quirks of this seemingly sentient building made his head hurt a little, but the thought of staying in the hospital ward for the rest of his time here wouldn't be great. And he knew that his time here was limited.

Dumbledore said that it was a school, he assumed that there was some sort of studying break going on at the moment, but once that break stopped he was basically homeless.

He didn't want to think about it, but he couldn't really afford not to.

The castle walls seemed to shimmer at him as he contemplated everything. No, hold, on. Wangji moved forward a bit, there was something there just now. No, he wasn't imagining it.

Without any warning whatsoever, the shimmering sight went right through the wall and passed right through him, making his guts do a flip.

"Oh, terribly sorry, didn't see you there." A voice said. He quickly turned around and was faced with a... ghost? He had on an odd frilly sort of tunic, with an equally frilly sort of neck scarf.

"...It is alright..." Wangji shook off the shivering feeling he just received. Well, he didn't think he'd be talking to a ghost, but hey, it might as well happen.

"Ah, our visitor from a faraway land, I presume." Sir Nicholas gave an over-the-top bow, floating mid-air. His moustache bristled slightly with every syllable spoken.

"Sir Nicholas de Minsy-Porpington is the name. Eh, although most take to calling me Nearly Headless Nick."

Wangji should have been only slightly more shocked, but it wasn't like he had never seen a ghost before. One in a school was only slightly intriguing.

"...It is nice to...Nearly?" He didn't really want to pry, but the thought of somebody being nearly headless did pique his interest.

Sir Nick grabbed his hair and yanked his head to the side, as though he was tipping his hat in introduction.

"Oh," Wangji nodded in understanding, not looking even the slightest bit phased by the gruesome spectral sight. Sir Nick himself looked rather happy with the fact that Wangji didn't react disdainfully.

He had centuries of seeing students wince and grimace whenever he performed his little 'trick'. One first year, a very timid chap named Edwin Lockwood, had thrown up all over the Hufflepuff sitting next to him in front of the entire great hall.

"Well met indeed." He beamed, floating just an inch higher. " And how are you taken to the magnificent castle that is Hogwarts?"

"It is...big," Wangji answered honestly, he was quite certain he was lost, although that was probably due to the fact he saw a staircase move...at least he thought he did. Frankly, nothing in the place seemed to just sit still.

"Ah, yes. I remember my first time traversing the great halls. I ended up mistaking three separate broom closets and two bathrooms for the Charm's classroom in one day..." He looked both reminiscent and irritated at that.

" I dare say the castle was having a laugh at my expense."

"But I shan't hinder your little excursion any further. Well, for now, good sir, I shall bid you adieu." And with that, Sir Nick floated up and through the ceiling, looking rather pleased with himself.

Wangji assumed that adieu meant goodbye.

Wangji mulled over the fact that he just had a chat with a ghost. It... was actually quite quirky to have ghosts around. He could see it being useful if you had to deliver a message to the other side of the castle, considering they could go through walls.

Hmm, maybe this place wasn't all that bad, and Sir Nick was polite and oddly entertaining. He was sure that Wei Ying would have....

Wei Ying would have loved everything about this place. It was boisterous and bursting at the seams with personality. Just like he... Just like he was before... Just like he was.

Was. That word seemed to be the story of his life. He was content to live out his life the way his uncle wanted him to. He was swept off his feet by Wei Ying. He was prepared to do whatever it took to protect him... Was, was, was. Would have, should have, could have.

Wangji looked up at the ceiling, red lions intricately painted. That colour was going to haunt him for whatever time he had left being alive.

The ceiling swirled silver again and Wangji thought that Sir Nick might be coming back before a cackling noise filled up the hall.

A short, stumpy-looking figure whizzed about in the air doing loop de loops while holding a feather duster like it was a sword.

Another ghost? No, this one was a bit different somehow, he couldn't quite put his finger on it, but the aura wasn't the same. It seemed more off-kilter and erratic. It certainly acted that way. Unfortunately, it seemed to have noticed his presence and decided to do something bout it.

"Oi, oi, oi! What do we have here?" Peeves cackled as he flew down, doing a wobbly loop in the air around Wangji.

"A new face, all stiff and cold! With hair so long, it's practically gold!"

Oh... Oh. This one could go straight to hell. Wangji kept on walking stiffly, ignoring Peeves completely, although his jaw was slightly tensed. However, Peeves was anything if not persistent.

"Oi, Mister Stony-Face, so cold and grim! Do you even smile? Or is that too much whim?" He paused dramatically, tapping his chin as if deep in thought. "Hmm, maybe you're cursed to be so glum. Or are you hiding from someone's mum?"

It speaks in rhyme, as if its mere existence wasn't enough, it speaks in rhyme.

Wangji stopped to give him the biggest, stone-cold stare he had ever given anyone in his life. Peeves faltered, if only for a moment, before bursting out in a cackling fit.

"Goodness me, just look at that glare! Cold as winter, I declare!" Peeves flipped around again, twirling his feather duster like a baton.

"But don't think you can scare ol' Peeves, no sirree! I'm the king of this castle, and you're just visiting, see?"

Wangji hurried long, deciding that this just wasn't a battle worth fighting, he was far too tired to do anything about it.

"Oi, where're you goin, you can't leave now! I've got so many jokes I'm dying to shout" Peeves quickly drifted after Wangji. Wangji picked up the pace even further, his shoes clacking against the tiles like no tomorrow.

" Oh, Rapunzel, Rapunzel, are the words stuck in your throat? Oh, Rapunzel, Rapunzel, you just can't take a joke!" Peeves cackled, looking incredibly pleased with his little nickname. Wangji quickly made his way down the stairs.

Breathe just breathe. You're above it, you're above all of it you're a Lan you're a... Lan.

Wangji stopped dead in his tracks, rage bubbling inside once again.

"Oh, look at this, he's stopped to play! You've decided to give ol' Peevie a chance to-" Peeves never got to finish his rhyme, as a cascade of golden Qi was sent directly towards his face.

" NOOOOOOOOOO!" Peeves gave a mighty shriek loud enough to resurrect the nearest ghost as he was blasted high above... Up and up he went, like water out of a geyser, until he finally went through the ceiling and completely out of sight. Peeves's feather duster fell from the ceiling with a deafening clatter at Wangji's feet.

Wangji stood on the steps, realising he'd just lost control again. This time with Qi rather than magic. He..... had never lost control of his Qi; he'd never had that much power in his Qi blast before.

"...Oh...no," Wangji gulped, feeling he wouldn't hear the last of this.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Wangji sat on the stone steps, practically curled up in a ball, trying just to become one with the staircase. His hair fell in front of his face like an ebony curtain, dutifully shielding him from the awkwardness of this conversation.

"Well, I don't know exactly what you did, but you seemed to have blasted him straight into the owlry." Professor Flitwick said, feeling extremely sorry for Wangji. However, he must say he hadn't expected him to be this timid. Filch stood at his side, holding his reclaimed feather duster as if it were something more precious than a musty old duster. Ms Norris, his rather decrepit-looking tabby cat, stood faithfully at his side and hissed, seeming to share her owner's mindset when it came to Peeves.

When Severus went into detail about a seasoned warrior who had slain countless lives on the battlefield and had endured the endless hardships of war, Filius was expecting someone who acted...a little less like him, to be perfectly frank.

"They would've pecked 'im to death—if the little menace weren't already dead, mind you." Filch looked positively beaming, well as beaming as one could be when you had such a stony face. At last, someone who could put Peeves in his place. The Bloody Baron could give him a scare, but even he couldn't blow him halfway across the castle like he was a leaf in a storm.

"..'m sorry," Wangji's voice was muffled mainly because his head was buried into his knees.

"Oh, It's perfectly fine, after all, I can't say I care for Peeves and his rude behaviour," Filius said placatingly.

"You did the castle a favour, you did, young mister—oh yes, a real favour indeed!" Filch said quite gratefully, still gently holding his duster.

Wangji briefly looked up. Both Professor Flitwick, Filch and his cat seemed to look graciously at him. He wondered if he would meet every member of staff at Hogwarts through him doing something dangerous and/or embarrassing.

Although he did feel better enough to stop his ridiculous and futile attempt to merge with the stairs and get up.

"I..." Wangji looked between the pair and swallowed the lump in his throat. All their eyes were on him, even the cat's. What was he going to say again? He didn't know, honestly.

"That ghost is...troublesome," Is all he managed to lamely get out. That ghost is troublesome. Yeah, no shit. What kind of blatantly obvious thing was that to say?

"Troublesome doesn't even begin to describe that horrible little devil, it doesn't! A menace, that's what he is—a menace!" Filch grumbled, scooping up Mrs. Norris and giving her a few comforting pats.

"Oh, let me tell you—there was this time he got his grubby hands on a whole crate of dung bombs, he did! And somehow—somehow—he managed to mix 'em with glitter! Glitter! That was not a nice mess to clean up, oh no! Spent the whole afternoon scrubbin' and scrubbin', just tryin' to get rid of that blasted sparkly stench! And then there was this time when..."

Filch went on and on about all the various times he had to clean up after the poltergeist; and it was a poltergeist apparently, not that Wangji understood what that meant.

But he listened politely, all the same; Professor Flitwick did too. Although Wangji was sure that was because the man was simply too polite to try to interrupt him

However, he was a little glad to have something to fill the silence. Even if it was the begrudging bemoanings of a disgruntled school caretaker.

Hello all! So, I know I've been a little absent for this one, but I swear to god, I'll try to get back into the role soon. It hasn't been easy these past few days, but I'd like to think things will be taking a turn for the better soon. And if not, well, it iss what it iss~  But hey! This is a pretty big and juicy chapter, isn't it?

I really wanted Wangji to meet Peeves and have a trouble-filled interaction with him.

 If there's one thing that makes me peeved (pun intended), is that they completely cut him out from the movies. I never understood why they did that. But then again, the movies will never be as good as the books. But hey, that's the case with most book adaptation movies. It just doesn't hit the same way a book does.

I don't really understand people who don't read books. When you read a book, you've got your imagination, which in my opinion is ten times better.

Just think of it this way. When you're reading a book, you get to pick the camera angles the cast and the set, along with the budget. 

You have a multi-billion dollar movie production company in your head. Utilise it! 

That's all for now. 

Stay safe and stay fabulous. 

Sincerely, Amethyst.