XxXxX Settling In XxXxX
Andor,
First off, I guess I should thank you for introducing me to Ingoldstadt and all, and I'd do it properly if I wasn't running out of time…. Anyway, there's something that's been troubling me… more like, lots of things that are troubling me… well, the point is strange things have been happening to me, and I really mean strange, unless you don't count biting a fork to pieces strange… I'm faster and stronger than any of my classmates and now I can also see in the dark. It all started when I arrived in Arx Crystallus. Do you think the island had any kind of effect on me?
Also, there're some people I haven't heard from in a while. I'd look for them myself but my resources are limited. There's Cineris, you know, my godfather? And Audrey, and Diego, and there's no point in looking for the Lestranges since they are in Azkaban but… do you think you can find Chantal? All those people you know. Now, there're some people I met while I was missing, though most of them are dead. Anyhow, I met a girl called Sarah. She was sold about two years ago in Dras-Leona; you know that slavery's legal there. Stupid Muggles. She must be sixteen or seventeen right now. I also met a vampire at a mine. His name's Damien… or was… he was sent to Helgrind the last time I saw him… about three months before I woke up in Hogwarts' Hospital Wing. I'm not sure if he survived but I never heard about his death so there's still hope. He looked around eighteen but I'm sure he was over a hundred years old.
There's someone else, though she might be harder to find since she's a werecat. She's white and her name's Gauri. She helped me escape the attack to Downtown Ebur and I don't know if she made it out. I know I'm asking too much from you and that you have work to do and meetings to attend to, but please try to find them as soon as possible.
Thank you again,
J. Riddle
P.S. The falcon's name is Horus.
Jack sealed the letter and minimized it with a charm. He then gave it to Horus and the silver Gyr Falcon took off. He sighed. He was definitely asking too much from Andor, but he couldn't help it. He needed to know if his friends were alright… some of them, like Audrey, Cineris and Chantal, he hadn't seen since Sam's murder. Then he had met Ginger, Vince and Sarah. Ginger and Vince were dead, that he knew for sure. Sarah, however, was lost. Then he had met Damien and now he was lost too, possibly dead. Jack shook his head. What mattered now was that he had finally started the search for his surviving friends.
He put his quill back into his satchel and ran from the Owlery to the fourth floor. He had Dark Arts class next and Swallowraw was not someone you wanted to cross, unless you wanted your blood being sucked by a vampire.
On their first Dark Arts class, the twelve first years had been staring uneasily at their professor. Swallowraw had raised an almost non-existent eyebrow at them and asked what the matter was. Isabel had been the one to gather her wits around her and boldly said that they were nervous about being in the same room as a vampire. Swallowraw had grinned sinisterly and shown his pointy fangs at them. They were a lot smaller than Jack had thought they would be. Almost like normal canines.
Flashback
"You know what I love?" said the pale Professor pacing around the room. "I love people who read lots of horror books. Because they believe what they read and hear, and pack silly things like crosses and holy water when they go out to hunt a vampire, instead of weapons which could do real damage, like guns and hand grenades."(Shan 137)
"What about wooden stakes?" asked Aaron.
Swallowraw bore his black eyes into Aaron's red ones. "Any kind of sharp object that is thrust through the heart of a living being, regardless of what it is made of, will kill. So yes, wooden stakes would hurt vampires as they would humans, and so would a marble stake, for instance."
When the class didn't seem appeased, Swallowraw kept explaining. "It is true that our appetites are rather exotic. But just because we drink blood does not mean that we are evil. If a vampire kills a human while feeding, then yes, he might be evil. But one who just takes a little blood to fill his rumbling belly… Where is the harm in that?"(Shan 137-138)
No one knew what to say to that. For the rest of the class, Swallowraw continued to describe vampires to his twelve students. How they drunk a little bit of blood from a different human every week to keep the hunger down and refrain from killing, how they only drunk from adults, how they aged one year every ten, how they turned humans into quarter, half or full vampires by pumping blood into them through their fingertips and not by biting, how a full vampire's spit could heal any flesh wound…
End Flashback
Because he knew Damien, Jack had already known most of what Swallowraw had told them about vampires. Every myth had been broken. Damien, as a full vampire, could move at amazing speeds, was strong enough to punch a hole into a wall made of concrete with only his fist, his hearing sense was so acute he could hear conversations taking place a mile away from him… however, Jack had never seen Damien use any of his inhuman abilities because Damien was only allowed a tiny sip of blood every two months which was enough to keep him alive.
He was shaken out of his thoughts when he saw the door to the Dark Arts classroom. He was surprised to see it open but didn't complain when he entered without a problem. Kenichi and Tancred had sat down together so Jack sat with Ralph in the only other available seat. Swallowraw was nowhere to be seen.
"Hey Jacob, Riddle me this," Ralph greeted with a grin once Jack sat down.
Jack rolled his eyes. "My name's not Jacob. It's Jack," he replied as he put down his bag. "And the next time you say 'Riddle me this', I'll hex you."
Ralph chuckled. "You'd never hit me."
Jack narrowed his eyes. "Why not?"
"I live with Manfred," Ralph said as if that explained everything. Jack was about to fire back a comment when Swallowraw made his grand entrance.
The light coming from the small white sunstones incrusted in the walls dimmed and a weird air current blew their hair into their faces. 'That's new,' Jack thought amusedly as he followed Swallowraw's course from the back of the classroom to his chair. Swallowraw was a master for theatrics; every class he would enter the classroom differently. He would drop from the ceiling, walk through a wall, materialize out of thin air, come out of the shadows… at first they all thought it was fantastic but now it almost seemed comical.
"What is an Element Wielder, Miss Vaskov?" asked Swallowraw in his soft, raspy voice from his chair. Jack smirked when he realized that the Professor's face was partially hidden by shadows.
Lidiya bit her lip. "Erm… I… I don't know, Professor. I never heard the term before."
"Mr. Khatabi," continued Swallowraw. "I believe you can enlighten us?"
Jack sincerely hoped Otieno would because he had no idea of what an Element Wielder was.
The African boy scrunched up his face. "I heard my grandmother talk about an Element Wielder once… something about a man who could control the rain. Are Element Wielders people who can control the elements?"
Swallowraw sighed. "You tell me, Mr. Khatabi."
"I'd say yes, sir," replied Otieno. "But I'm not sure."
Swallowraw stood up and started pacing around the students. "Yes, as Mr. Khatabi said, an Element Wielder is just that. A person with control over an element. Miss Cooper, how many elements are there and which are they?"
"There are four, sir. Water, Air, Fire and Earth," answered Amy.
"That, Miss Cooper, is correct," continued Swallowraw. "Mr. Oosaki, going back to the man who could control the rain, what element did he wield?"
Kenichi frowned. "Water?"
"No," said Swallowraw. "Mr. Riddle?"
Jack's heart skipped a beat. Wasn't rain water?
"Think, Riddle," called Swallowraw from the back of the classroom.
Jack sighed. If it wasn't Water, and Earth and Fire couldn't be, then… "Wind?"
"Correct. Why?"
"Because…" Jack stared at the ceiling as he thought. Then it clicked. "Because he used the wind to move the clouds that were loaded with rain."
"Correct," repeated Swallowraw. "Who can be an Element Wielder, Miss… Santos?"
Aura scratched her nose. "Everyone who's magical," she answered in her monotone voice.
"And why are there so few Element Wielders if everyone has the potential to be one, Mr. Bloor?"
'Here goes know-all,' thought Jack with an eye-roll.
"Because element wielding is considered Dark," answered Ralph.
"Why?" prompted Swallowraw. "All of you listen up. When I ask you something you must always give an explanation of why you gave me that answer. Now, Mr. Bloor, why?"
"Um… I don't know, sir," muttered Ralph with his head bowed.
Jack raised his eyebrows in mild surprise. "You don't?" he whispered to the other boy. Ralph shook his head.
"Does anyone here know?" asked Swallowraw who had started pacing again. When he got no response he said, "Element wielding is considered Dark because it deals with the manipulation of the environment. One. Tiny. Mistake, can be disastrous. Tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, fires, earthquakes, volcano eruptions; some of these disasters and more have been caused by careless Element Wielders in the past so element wielding was branded Dark and banned. Here in Ingoldstadt we do not believe in said ban and that is why every Friday in this class from now on will be dedicated to finding which element each of you wields and then be taught how to use it."
There was a rustle among the twelve students as their Professor caught their attention again. They were going to learn banned magic!
"Three of you will be Wind, three of you will be Fire, three of you will be Earth, and three of you will be Water," Swallowraw went on. "That is one of the many things we take into consideration when choosing Ingoldstadt students. You may have noticed that the robes of third year students and up have a different coloured cuff. Those that wield Wind have white cuffs, Water is aqua, Earth is green, and Fire is orange. The runes of each element are also stitched on the cuffs. By tomorrow, you should have read the chapter on Element Wielders because I might quiz you on it. You are free to go."
Jack and his classmates lifted their bags, because they hadn't pulled their books or parchment out of them, and filed out of the classroom talking animatedly while Swallowraw walked back to his office.
"We're going to become Element Wielders!" said Ralph happily.
"Sorry to burst your bubble, Ralph," interrupted Amy. "But it's third years and up the ones who use the runed cuffs. First and second years only discover which element they wield and then they start learning how to use it."
Jack laughed at the look Ralph was giving Amy and went to look for Kenichi and Tancred. They had lunch next so there was no need to rush.
Unless you were Tancred.
"C'mon, Riddle! I'm hungry," the sandy haired boy whined. Kenichi rolled his eyes.
"I'm coming," said Jack dully. "I swear the food is not going to run away."
"This is Ingoldstadt, Jack," retorted Tancred. "If we get to learn banned magic, then the food can sure as hell run away." He grabbed the front of Jack's and Kenichi's robes and started pulling them down the stairs, regardless of his friends' protests.
Jack slapped Tancred's hand off his midnight blue robes. "Quit it, Torrson," he said annoyed. "This is ridiculous."
"Not being early to lunch," retorted Tancred. "That's ridiculous."
Kenichi growled and used his bag to hit Tancred's head. The Canadian boy let go of the half-magi's robes and glared at him. Then he stomped away on his own. Jack and Kenichi shared a glance and went after him.
"Ugh, c'mon, Tanc," groaned Jack. "Don't take it like that."
"Yeah," agreed Kenichi. "We just don't like being dragged down the stairs."
Tancred didn't stop and Jack and Kenichi started to jog after their friend. Then, when they were already on the ground floor that housed the Dinning Hall, Tancred suddenly stopped and the other two bumped into him.
"Tancred, what…" started Jack, then he noticed that his friend was trembling.
Standing on the main doors was a short chubby man with short white hair, a thick pair of glasses, a sharp yellow suit and long green Wellies. Flanking him were two short figures, even shorter than the man, wearing blue hooded cloaks that covered them up completely. The man walked past them without saying a word, but he did smile at them. Kenichi returned the smile and Jack gave him a respectful nod, but Tancred cowered. When they were sure the man was out of earshot, Jack rounded on Tancred.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked, puzzled. Kenichi watched on.
Tancred paled and swallowed. "That was Desmond Tiny." And that was all they got out of him for a long, long while.
AVAVAVAVAVAVA
Jack was starting to get worried about Tancred.
The werewolf would usually eat everything within sight and crack jokes about everything and everyone. Out of Jack, Kenichi, Billy, Tancred and Ralph, who had now joined the small group, Tancred was the most cheerful. However, since Desmond Tiny's arrival, Tancred had been unnaturally quiet and hadn't touched his food. Definitely not a good sign.
"Oi, Torrson, what's wrong with you?" Ralph asked after Tancred shuddered for the umpteenth time during lunch.
Tancred shook his head slowly while he stared off into space.
"Apart from the full moon being so close," started Jack carefully watching Tancred's reaction. "We met an old man on the stairs when we were coming down. Desmond Tiny or something like that…" As soon as the words 'Desmond Tiny' left his mouth Ralph and Billy paled and exchanged worried glances.
Jack huffed. "Now what? What is it with this Tiny guy?"
"You mean you don't know?" whispered Ralph.
"Know what?" asked Kenichi.
"No one knows until they come to Ingoldstadt," whispered Billy fearfully as he looked around, as if afraid that someone might be spying on them. "Or until an older member of the family comes to Ingoldstadt," he added looking pointedly at Tancred and Ralph.
"Know what?" repeated Jack starting to get annoyed.
Ralph leaned in and Jack and Kenichi leaned in to hear him out. "Know about… Desmond Tiny."
Jack raised an eyebrow. "And pray tell, who is Desmond Tiny?"
"He likes to be called Des," whispered Tancred as if he were in a trance. "Des Tiny."
Billy shuddered.
"Des Tiny?" echoed Jack and Kenichi in unison. 'Des Tiny,' thought Jack with a frown. 'Des Tiny, Des Tiny, Des Tiny, Des…'
"Destiny," he whispered.
Tancred swallowed, Billy shuddered again, and Ralph's face darkened.
"Destiny?" repeated Kenichi with a small smirk. "He seemed like a nice old man."
Billy shook his head furiously. "He's a monster."
"Pure evil," added Ralph fearfully.
"He comes to Ingoldstadt once every year to meet the new ones," continued Billy.
"Desmond Tiny cannot possibly be worse than a Shade," argued Jack. "I've seen what they can do."
"Shades do what they do for power," replied Ralph. "So do Dark Lords. Desmond Tiny does it for fun and it doesn't matter to him who gets affected. The more the merriest."
Jack and Kenichi exchanged a glance.
"You said he comes to meet the new ones?" said Kenichi with clear uncertainty in his voice. "When will he be seeing us, then?"
The question was left hanging in the air and, without speaking, the four first years agreed that they never wanted to meet a man with such an ominous name.
When the silence was starting to get uncomfortable and it was certain that none of them was going to touch their food again, Headmaster Taue stood up and the Hall quieted. His features were set in a serious expression but his fingers were twitching. A streak of electric violet flashed across the ceiling.
"I have news for you," he started in his deep voice. "Whether good or bad is up to your own criteria." He paused and the older students stiffened. "A visitor has just arrived to our school. Mr. Tiny…" he was interrupted by gasps and muttering all over the Hall. The students were frantic. They paled and shared glances, held each other's hands and squeezed them; spoke in fearful tones to their friends… even the teachers looked nervous.
Jack sought Manfred out with his gaze. He found him at the other side of the Hall looking solemnly at Taue, who raised his arm and brought silence to the Hall again.
"I know what Mr. Tiny's arrival means to all of you," he spoke softly but his words echoed around the Hall. "Stick to your usual routines and you should be able to avoid him. First years will follow Professor Rego in a moment," he paused again and was about to say something but seemed to think better of it. "Good luck."
Professor Rego stood up. "First years line up outside the Hall, please. I will be with you in a moment."
Jack took a deep breath and looked at his friends. "Shall we?"
Kenichi nodded slowly and Ralph gulped. Tancred seemed to be ready to faint.
"Let's get this over with," said Ralph standing up.
"Good luck, guys," whispered Billy.
Jack and Kenichi had to pull Tancred up by his shirt because the boy simply refused to move. The other students' stares followed them as if they were a funeral procession or as if they were about to be executed, until they reached the door. A fourth year even made the vampire sign of death.
When the twelve students were outside the Hall, Rego walked through the doors. "Follow me," she said solemnly.
Jack frowned. Tiny couldn't be that bad or… could he? He noticed that the girls, Aaron and Otieno looked as clueless as he felt.
Rego led them up the black marble staircase, a corridor to the right, two floors up, turned left, one floor down and stopped in front of a wooden door with a dragon carved into it. She had started to raise her hand to knock on the door when the door swung open on its own.
"Come in, come in," called a merry voice. "Don't be afraid, I don't bite… much," the voice laughed.
Rego held the door for her students and stepped in behind them. Ralph was at Jack's right and Kenichi at his left. They had entered a hexagonal room with green walls made of the same material the castle was made of with a desk in the middle. Behind it sat the man in the yellow suit they had seen earlier being flanked by his blue cloaked bodyguards. Their faces were still hidden behind the hoods.
"Nyah, darling!" greeted Tiny when the students had formed a line in front of him. Jack noticed that the Deputy Headmistress and DADA teacher shuddered when the man called her darling. "My word, where is Taue?"
"He will be here in a moment," replied Rego seriously, though she looked as if she couldn't wait for him to arrive.
Mr. Tiny turned to the twelve students and smiled at them. He was barely taller than Jack, and his teeth were many and pointy… however, his smile was kind. All of them, except for Jack, Kenichi, Tancred, and Ralph, smiled back. Wrong move.
"Well, you four," Mr. Tiny said coldly with his light blue eyes trained on them. "Didn't your parents teach you manners? Tut, tut… we'll have to fix that."
Amy kicked the floor with unease and the others frowned. Poor Tancred was trembling and trying to hide behind Kenichi.
"Tancred Torrson," said Tiny. "I saw your sister last year. I was told you hate drinking blood as a werewolf. I don't blame you; nasty, repulsive stuff. Apart from young children, I can't stand it. It is far sweeter, and untainted don't you find?
"You can't drink blood from a child," muttered Jack remembering what Damien the vampire had told him, and saving Tancred from answering. "If you did, you'd kill them."
His eyes widened and so did his smile, "So?" he asked softly.
For a split second, Jack thought the man was joking, but he looked completely serious. It wasn't until that moment that Jack noticed a heart shaped watch hanging from a chain around Mr. Tiny's neck. It seemed to glow, giving the man a sinister look. All of a sudden, Jack knew why his peers feared this man so much. He was evil. Not cruel like his father, but pure demonic evil. This was a man he could imagine killing a thousand people just to hear them scream for his own amusement… not even because of blood purity.
Mr. Tiny sat down on his chair and regarded the twelve trembling students. "Torrson, Oosaki, Riddle, Bloor, Cooper, Santos, Khatabi, Sunners, García, Dubois, Vaskov, and Hadji. You seem to be an interesting generation. Generation 5000. Definitely interesting." There was a knock on the door. "Oh, there's Taue, the scoundrel."
One of the blue cloaked figures moved towards the door and opened it. Sure enough there was Taue. How did Mr. Tiny know everything?
"Tiny," greeted the Headmaster stiffly. "Are you done with my students?"
Mr. Tiny laughed, sending a chill down Jack's spine. "I'm just getting started, Taue. Interesting kids you have this year. Perhaps I'll even pay Ingoldstadt another visit this semester, you know; to celebrate the millennium and all."
'NO!' Jack wanted to scream. 'Don't come back! Don't ever come back!'
Mr. Tiny turned to Jack again. "Your face seems familiar. Have we met before, Jack Riddle?"
Jack shook his head. He would know if he had met this creature before.
"Are you sure?" he insisted. "You look very familiar."
When Jack continued to shake his head, Mr. Tiny smiled. "You can't always trust memory. It can be a deceptive monster. Perhaps I'm confusing you with someone else…. Now, Ralph Bloor. I met your brother, too. And your fa… I know where I've seen you before!" Mr. Tiny cried happily turning back to Jack. "You're Voldemort's kid! The sneaky bastard got himself killed some months ago, didn't he?"
The change in Jack was immediate. He stiffened and clenched his teeth, his eyes flashed red, and his glare could have frozen fire. He flexed his fingers and it took all of his will power not to reach for his wand and attempt a Cruciatus curse on the man. "Indeed," he replied through clenched teeth.
Mr. Tiny waved a hand signalling they could leave, but Jack stood his ground. "How did you know who my father was?"
Desmond Tiny turned around slowly. If he was surprised, he didn't show it, though Taue, the children, and Rego were left open-mouthed at his boldness.
"You look like him," Mr. Tiny explained pleasantly.
"I know that," Jack retorted. "But how or when did you meet him? It's not like he showed his true appearance to the public."
Mr. Tiny smiled. "A long time ago, in a situation much like this one. You also look a lot like your cousin here," he added pointing at Ralph, who widened his eyes and turned sharply to Jack, fear forgotten. "Beware, Sheridan. Sebastian will do anything to win the throne back."
Jack ignored Ralph and growled. "How long ago, exactly?"
"Well, if you're ten and you will turn eleven in January," Mr. Tiny said. "That would make twenty-six years. A long time already."
"What did you mean with the warning?" Jack asked.
Mr. Tiny's smile slipped. "You're far too curious for your own good."
"So?" Jack snapped back.
Mr. Tiny leaned forward and his face darkened. "Let's just say I'm not fond of curious folk."
Jack resisted the urge to gulp.
"You can go now," said Taue after a tense silence. "All of you. Your afternoon classes have been cancelled."
The twelve students filed out of the room as fast as they could and the door shut behind them. They paused for a moment to fully process what had happened in the room and then the twelve took off as one at a sprint and didn't stop running until they reached their common room.
"Are you completely insane!?" yelled Aura at Jack once they had all collapsed into the armchairs.
"I…" gasped Jack.
"What on Earth possessed you back there?" asked Isabel with awe.
"I don't know…" whispered Jack. "I have no idea why…"
"Did you know we were cousins?" cut Ralph looking intently at Jack.
Silence.
"Jack," called Ralph a bit more forcefully. "Did you?"
Jack looked up at Ralph. "I found out the day we boarded the White Dragon."
"Why didn't you say anything?" asked Ralph with a slightly betrayed tone.
"I couldn't think of a way to do so," explained Jack. Ralph looked sour. "Oi, how would you have reacted if I suddenly told you 'Hey, Ralph, guess what? We're cousins!' would you have believed me?" retorted Jack defensibly.
For some strange reason, Ralph found this funny and burst out laughing. "Of course I wouldn't have, little cousin!"
Jack was taken aback. "Little cousin?"
Ralph grinned. "I turned eleven two months ago. You're the Benjamin of the Slytherin line."
Jack opened his mouth to retort but closed it again. He opened and closed his mouth for another moment trying to find his voice and ended up saying, "What?"
Kenichi sniggered in the background. "Burn this into you memories, guys. You'll never see the Dark Heir looking this clueless again."
Jack mock glared at Kenichi but the effect was ruined by the smirk playing in his lips. "Clueless your aunt, Oosaki."
There were some nervous laughs among the few students. Jack surveyed them with his gaze and noted how scared they looked. Aura and Isabel had lost their sudden 'straightforwardness' and were now looking at their shoes. Jack frowned. Were they still scared because of Mr. Tiny? Or worse… were they scared of him now that they knew who his father had been? He glanced at Kenichi and noticed that the Japanese boy was trying not to appear nervous. Tancred, however, surprised him.
Jack had a knack for reading people's emotions. He could tell when people were nervous around him because of him, and he could also tell when people around him were nervous because of something else. Tancred wasn't showing any nervousness because of him.
Tancred, feeling Jack's gaze on him, looked at the other boy with a puzzled expression on his face.
"What?" he said, drawing the others' attention towards them. "Did you think I would freak out because of what… he… said? About your father being the Dark Lord?"
Jack blinked. "Once being," he corrected coolly to sidestep the matter. "He's dead."
There was a slight rustle of fabric as Amy shifted in her seat. "And your mother?" she asked in a small voice.
Jack lowered his gaze. "She was murdered when I was seven," he whispered. "It's the third anniversary of her death this December."
There was a short pause and then Tancred spoke. "You didn't answer my question. Did you expect me to freak out like the others?"
Jack spared the other ten students a quick glance before looking at Tancred in the eye. "Honestly speaking… I did," he said evenly.
Tancred nodded. "I know what you mean… I get the same attitudes from people when they hear for the first time that I'm a werewolf… that I'm a Dark creature… it doesn't feel nice, does it? That's why I decided not to judge you because of who your father was… because that's what I'd like people to do were it me in your position."
Jack was shocked into silence. No one, absolutely no one had stopped to think about what Tancred had said once they knew who he really was. They always assumed that if he was Lord Voldemort's son then he must be evil, because they had always been told that Voldemort was the embodiment of evil. Jack never believed that to be true… less now that he had met Desmond Tiny.
"Y'know what?" said Kenichi turning to Jack. "Gomen nasai, Riddle… for not thinking about that first… besides, it's not like you've killed anyone or are planning on it… are you?"
Jack chuckled darkly. "Not yet…"
The others looked at him as one.
"I'm kidding, people!" Jack cried raising his hands in mock surrender. "It's not like I'm Des Tiny!"
There was a sudden change in the atmosphere and Jack raised his eyes to the ceiling. Things were going to be really tight if they feared Desmond Tiny so much, so he gathered his courage and took a deep breath. "Listen up, everyone. Let's just forget about this Tiny person." It surprised him how steady and authoritarian his voice sounded, because it had never sounded like that before. "We can't just let him… tap dance into our lives and let him rule them. We have to outsmart him... somehow... and show him we're more than just a bunch of trembling first years too scared to fight back; savvy?"
Some of his companions smiled thinly and others grinned at him.
"Easy for you to say," grumbled Tancred.
Jack cocked his head at him.
"Yeah," said Tancred looking at Jack's inquisitive eyes. "It's easy to be brave when your stomach is full. Do you think the house-elves would mind bringing a late lunch up to the common room? I haven't eaten anything since breakfast!"
The others perked up at the mention of lunch.
"Don't you ever think of something that isn't food?" smiled Lidiya.
"I think about skipping Maths class," said Tancred.
"We skipped Maths!" said Aaron suddenly.
"Yes!" cried Aura jumping from her seat and doing a little dance. "We skipped Maths, we skipped Maths!" She pulled Isabel up with her and continued dancing. "We skipped Maths, we skipped Maths…"
Jack shook his head at his classmates. "Do any of you know how to call a house-elf?"
Aura and Isabel stopped dancing. "No."
"Nein," said Amy.
Kenichi, Ralph and Tancred shook their heads.
"Non," said Zoé.
Jack looked at the remaining students. "Any ideas?"
"Nope."
"No."
There was a stunned silence, then…
"Dang."
AVAVAVAVAVA
'Jack Riddle is dead,' Eburian government says.
Ebur – A spokesman from the Eburian government announced this morning that Jack Riddle's body was found among the rubble in Downtown Ebur weeks after the Urgal attack. An anonymous witness said Riddle was near one of the buildings that exploded and was buried under the wreckage, along with five people trapped inside the building, including the barman Leander Niagan. No survivors were found.
He was ten years old and Salazar Slytherin's last direct heir. (For more information see page 6.)
Volunteers keep arriving at the site to look for the bodies of those who could not make it out, and to start Downtown Ebur's reconstruction. It is estimated that…
Minerva slowly folded the newspaper and left it on the table before her. She covered her mouth with her hand, horrified. Jack couldn't be dead, he just couldn't…
'I failed you, Sam,' she thought holding back her tears. 'I failed you…'
Then, on the other hand… Jack was also the Dark Lord's heir. It would be hard for someone of Voldemort's calibre to rise as Dark Lord now that his only child was gone.
'Why did you have to run away with Tom Riddle, Samantha? Why?'
