Hogwarts Outdoor Courtyard, September 27, 1973.

"Bishop C3," said a Ravenclaw.

"Queen D6," counterattacks a Hufflepuff.

Opening a smile for having won the game, Ravenclaw starts to say his final move: "Hors..."

*camera flash*

The two wizard chess players cover their eyes due to the flash of light. Recovering from their slight daze, they look to the side and see a student holding a camera.

"Ehhh, I'm sorry! It was an accident," said Adrian Fidegan embarrassed.

Heedless of the apology, Ravenclaw roars at having been interrupted. "What's your problem, man? Are you retarded?"

"Forgive me, I just wanted to do a story for my newspaper and the sudden flash happened by accident," explains Adrian.

Looking at the aspiring Gryffindor journalist, Ravenclaw says, "You're pretty weird, huh? But you know what? Never mind."

The two return to play and ignore Adrian. With his shoulders down, the Gryffindor journalist decides to leave the place.

"This is all part of the process..." mumbles Adrian to himself.

Wanting to be alone for a while, Adrian finds a secluded table in the library and sits down. Looking absently at the books in front of him, he remembers his last years at Hogwarts.

An involuntary sigh comes out of his mouth.

Adrian has always been interested in the art of journalism, he has a gift when it comes to writing and photography. His dream is to become a well-known journalist, his skills seemed to fit the job profile perfectly. Except for one thing, he lacked something essential, being sociable.

A journalist to obtain multiple sources of matter must have the power of persuasion and resourcefulness. Adrian had a hard time connecting with other people, he is tagged by many as the weird and anti-social guy. An example would be today, a weekend where friends get together and here he was alone.

Make no mistake, he's not shy! He just doesn't seem to know what to do to fit in. His appearance was another problem, he has pimples, glasses and wears old clothes. People are highly judgmental of his appearance.

*Thud of something falling.*

Turning towards the noise, he sees his opportunity and tries to help the person who dropped the books on the floor. Adrian picks up the books one by one, while the clumsy person gathers the scattered sheets. Handing over the books, Adrian gets to see the guy's face.

"Thanks for the help," said the boy who had dropped the books.

"You're welcome! Hey, you're that slug club guy. We met, remember?" asks Adrian. "My name is Adrian and you must be... Severus, correct?"

Opening a small smile, Severus says: "Yes, you are correct. It's good to see you and thanks for the help again." Looking at the table where Adrian was before, he asks, "I was in a hurry to find a table, does this one have room for another one?"

"Oh, sure! Make yourself comfortable," excited, Adrian replies.

Sitting up, they began to read the books and not say a single word between them. Adrian had been happy to be able to get along with someone. Even if he now failed to bring up a subject, at least it had been an advance.

The silence continued until Severus looks at him and says, "You always seem to carry that camera, huh? Want to be a photographer or something?" he asked amused.

"Photographer? No, I want to be an investigative journalist and a good journalist always carries his camera," replied Adrian happy to have a subject.

"Oh? Interesting," said Severus with an interested expression and continued, "it seems to demand a lot of dedication and skills... You must write a lot then, I assume?"

With a twinkle in his eyes, Adrian replies: "You're correct, it takes a lot of effort and persistence..." Taking some sheets of paper, he hands them to Severus and says: "This is a small project of mine. I'm writing this journal for you to keep the students informed about the things that happen at Hogwarts."

Severus picks up and reads the small newspaper, the writing was no doubt good, the story not so good. Although he had talent, his content choices are a bit flawed.

"Your writing is very good," praises Severus.

"Thank you, I'm glad you liked it!" Thanks Adrian.

"Now I can see what Professor Slughorn saw in you." He praised Severus, before thoughtfully and saying: "Listen, I have a proposal! You have the talent, but unfortunately, you seem to lack the resources. How about I sponsor you and in return, you give me a share of your profits?"

Interested Adrian asks: "And that would be?"

With a slight smile, Severus says: "You can use Mass printing equipment and I could help you make some connections. In return, I get a share of the profits and you listen to my 'advice' on some stories."

In silence Adrian contemplates, the proposal was too good to be true. He now suspects that there may be a hidden purpose. Was it just for money? he wonders.

"What would be the division of profits??" asked Adrian.

"Well... Taking into account the investment, I propose 60% of the profits to me and the rest is yours," said Severus before looking a little hesitant and adding: "I might also need your help with some pranks, nothing that would cause you problems, of course!"

Pranks? Deciding to test the waters...

"And what would these pranks be?" Adrian asks, with a questioning look.

"Just silly things like smelly gas bombs or other pranks. You must know my animosity towards Marauders and I need someone within Gryffindor who can help me." Explains Severus.

Being silent for a moment, Adrian says, "Why would I draw Marauders' attention to me? They'll make me a target if I do that."

With a smile, Severus responds: "You won't need to publicly assert yourself against them, you'll just do things discreetly," pausing slightly, he continues: "We all win, don't we? You get your journal and connections. And I profit and still get back at them."

Adrian is silent, the stakes were too great and he didn't know what to say.

"Adrian, an investigative journalist must take some risks, being discreet would be like training for his future career." Severus tries to reassure Adrian and adds: "Not to mention that you only have to gain from this deal... With the money earned, you could get rid of this camera and get new clothes."

The boy is thoughtful by Severus' suggestion.

Adrian is a Muggleborn, his family although not in need, also did not have a high income. E Considering the devalued exchange rate of Muggle currency against Galleons... Your assets are extremely limited.

Looking into the secondhand camera, he remembers so many times he made a fool of himself. The used camera worked ok at first, but with time it started to give problems and shoot by itself. It was frustrating not having money, he wanted a new camera and new clothes, but he couldn't.

"Er... I'll think about it, ok?" Says Adrian.

"Of course, make yourself comfortable! You know where to find me if you need to," says Severus happily. "If you accept, I will make a magical contract to protect both parties interests, I hope you don't mind."

"A magical contract? I'd have to read it first, but I don't mind the idea," Adrian replies as he gets up from his chair.

Opening a smile Severus says: "You have a future, Adrian. I have high expectations regarding our possible agreement, just think about what was said. Sometimes in life, you have to take a risk and have a little ambition."

After that, they talk some more and then say goodbye. Unbeknownst to Adrian, that proposal would be a great turning point in his life, the beginning of a long partnership...