Volume One, Chapter Ten: Madame Custos's Reply

Before the incident with the Halloween troll, Tallon could not have believed he would ever be happy at Hogwarts. But now that he was friends with Harry, Ebony, Hermione and Ron, he found he was enjoying self more than he would have ever thought possible.

Never before had he had a group of friends that he could spend time with, ask for advice, eat with or work together with on home work. Even merely being in their presence was enjoyable. Tallon was surprised by how comfortable he felt around his new companions. He had always relished the times he had to himself more than the times he was with the other orphans at back at the Orphanage. Tallon could not have explained it even to himself why he felt this way, but he did not spend too much thought on it.

"And why should you?" asked Ebony, as she, Tallon, Harry, Ron and Hermione sat together in the court yard one nippy weekend afternoon. "If you waste time thinking about why you enjoy some thing, you'll end up not enjoying it at all."

Hermione had conjured a bright blue fire to keep them all warm and Ebony's cat Wicked was striding serenely along the top of a nearby hedge, peering down at them with a magisterially indifferent look that only a cat would wear. Tallon was watching the cat thoughtfully as it curled its tail luxuriously around its front legs.

"That's not true," Ron supplied, thoughtfully, "The more I think about Quidditch, the more I like it!"

"I meant," Ebony went on, barely concealing her annoyance at Ron, "You should just enjoy yourself if you can."

Harry, who was immersed in a book called "Quidditch through the Ages", looked up. "Well, I need to think about Quidditch while I can. I'll be playing it for the first time tomorrow." Harry, who had apparently made quite an impression on Professor McGonnogal the day they had all had their first flying lesson, had been made seeker of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. She had even personally sent him a top of the line Nimbus 2000 racing broom, which had made Malfoy go red with jealousy. The first Quidditch match of the season was tomorrow and it would be against Slytherin. Most of the school was exhibiting a high interest in the upcoming match, and indeed some, especially members of the concerned houses, were showing blatant animosity for their enemies in the pre-game hype.

Ebony for one, who turned to Harry and said seriously, "That's different, Harry. You need to think and learn all you can about Quidditch so that you can win. Any way you can beat the Slytherins is fine be me!"

Tallon, who had not really been listening, said "No harm ever came from thinking about some thing," while he twirled his wand over and over in his fingers and stared lazily up at the sky, his back against the courtyard wall.

"Tallon," Ebony leaned closer to him, a half scrutinizing half patronizing look on her face, "You think too much."

"I get that a lot," Tallon replied sighing resignedly. What he did not say was that Ebony had just reminded him forcefully of another friend he once had, who had made that very same criticism many times. Tallon's insides squirmed uncomfortably at this thought, though he tried not to allow the feeling to appear on his face.

"Well, if you really want some thing to think about," said Hermione brightly, sitting on the bench right in front of Tallon with a heavy book in her lap, "you could work on your transfiguration homework."

"Ugh, Hermione," groaned Ebony, "why do we have to work on it now? It's not due until Tuesday."

"Yeah," agreed Ron, "The first quidditch match of the season is this weekend, why should we work on it?"

Apathy towards doing homework was one of the only things that Ron and Ebony agreed on. They both looked defiantly at Hermione who fixed them in turn with her characteristic look of bossy disapproval.

"It's best to stay on top of things!" She exclaimed as though this was the most obvious thing in the world. "Besides, who knows how much home work we'll get assigned on Monday?"

Ron locked glum. However Ebony put on an "I know you're right but I don't care," expression and said ostentatiously, "Do as you will, Hermione, but I am not working on my transfiguration home work today." At that moment Wicked leapt lightly from her hedge perch, and allowed Ebony to scratch her behind the ears.

Hermione shrugged her shoulders indignantly and returned to her book. For some reason, Tallon felt sympathetic to Hermione at this moment. He wasn't sure why, but he was bored and felt he should get his home work done anyway, so he sat up and said "I'll work on that Transfiguration home work with you if you like, Hermione."

"Oh, thank you Tallon," she said earnestly.

Suddenly there was a haughty snort. Tallon looked around and saw a smug look on Ebony's face, though she wasn't looking at Tallon and Hermione.

"Never mind her," Tallon whispered, "let's do that homework."

Tallon and Hermione had been at there homework for 10 minutes when Snape suddenly appeared in the courtyard. As soon as his glass eyes caught sight of Snape, Tallon realized that he was limping. The five of them swiftly blocked Hermione's conjured fire from view, for they were not entirely sure they were allowed to have it. However Snape strode towards them; his blacks eyes seeming to scan them for an excuse to reprimand them.

"What's that you've got there, Potter?" he asked abruptly.

Harry held up the book he was reading, "Quidditch through the Ages."

"Library books are not to be taken outside the school," Snape snapped, snatching the book from Harry's hand, "Five points from Gryffindor."

"I know the school rules like the back of my hand, at that is not one of them," Ebony said firmly as Snape limped away.

"I wonder why he's limping." Harry said thoughtfully.

"Dunno, but I hope it's really hurting him!" Ron said bitterly.

Tallon stared after Snape, lost in thought. A slight suspicion arose in his mind as he remembered that he, Harry and Ron had seen Snape marching purposefully through the corridors the night the troll got in. But Tallon put it out of his mind. He was very keen to avoid trouble from now on. His adventures since he had started at Hogwarts had had unfortunate results on the whole; with the exception of the troll leading to his four current friendships. Still, Tallon was perfectly content to mind his own business for the time being.

On the morning of the Quidditch match, Tallon made his way downstairs into the common room, which still looked slightly warped from Tallon's memory of it. It was still semi-circular with blue and bronze curtained windows and an arched star-spangled ceiling, just like he had found it on the morning he had written his letter to Madame Custos. To Tallon's slight bewilderment, none of the other Ravencalws seemed to be taking any notice.

In fact, when Tallon had finally decided to ask Richard Ryfferis about the mysterious renovations, he responded, "What are you talking about Tallon? This is how the common room has always been."

Tallon looked around at the unfamiliar furniture, walls and decorations in bemusement. Eventually, he said, "Are you sure?"

Tallon thought he had unwittingly inflected some derogation in his question, for Richard said sternly, "Tallon, this is my fifth year at Hogwarts. I know what my own house common room looks like."

"Of course," Tallon replied apologetically, "never mind."

Tallon's involvement with the Halloween troll had done nothing to change his status among the Ravenclaws; not that Tallon had expected it or wanted it to. Most seemed to regard it as nothing more than a fluke that all five of those stupid little first years survived the encounter and knocked out the troll to boot. Tallon had a minor suspicion that some of the Ravenclaws would not have minded at all if the troll and squashed him into jelly. Indeed Cho Chang had been avoiding Tallon as though he had a highly contagious case of Dragon Pox, ever since he had set her hair on fire by accident.

Tallon didn't mind his solitary stigma. But still, it was a little lonely, having to wait every day until classes or meals or breaks to get to talk to people with whom you were on friendly terms with.

So it was that nobody noticed Tallon as most of the Ravenclaws made their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Even though Ravenclaw would not be playing in the upcoming game, the excitement was still such that people paid him even less attention than usual. When Tallon reached the Great Hall, he tried to catch the eye of his friends, through the uproarious chatter of the Gryffindor table. Eventually, Ebony and he exchanged a friendly wave and Tallon sat to eat.

Soon the Gryffindor and Slytherin teams left the hall to change and Tallon saw Harry looking very nervous and clutching his new Nimbus 2000 like a lifeline. Tallon was just about finished with his scrambled eggs, when an owl landed neatly on the table in front of him. Tallon stared. This wasn't an owl post day, who had sent him a special owl and for what? But as he looked at the owl more closely, he realized with an uncharacteristically dreadful rush, that is was the very same tough eagle owl that Tallon had used to send his letter to Madame Custos.

Tallon looked around surreptitiously, then, hesitating, untied the letter from the owl's leg. Sure enough, there was Madame Custos's signature on the parchment. From some where in the depths of his mind, it seemed, there rose up a tidal wave of panic and desperation, threatening to drown Tallon if it fell. The letter trembled in his hands as Tallon held it. There could only be one thing that this letter was about, but he could not face it, he would not.

All around him, students were rising from their seats, scrambling outside in their anticipation. Tallon remained seated in a state of semi consternation, Madame Custos's letter apparently holding him still, immobile and helpless. For Tallon, nothing in the world existed but this letter, this wretch of a message that had come to remind him of his past. But he could not escape it, he had to confront it.

Tallon came to himself. He was surrounded by people who had not a care in the world, all milling excitedly out of the Castle for what; to watch a Quidditch match?

Tallon sprinted through the crowd and back up the Marble Staircase, his grip on Madame Custos's letter vice-like. The Castle was deserted; everybody was going outside to watch the match. He had not stopped sprinting when he reached Ravenclaw tower and he did not want to stop. At the end of Archimedes's corridor, he screeched the password, "MULTIFARIOUS!" so that Archimedes could open the portrait and allow Tallon to enter at top speed.

"Alright, alright! The common room's not going any where, you know."

He flew through his painting and Tallon vaulted after him at once, through the autumn sunlit hedges, into the tunnel and finally the common room. It was (Tallon thought absurdly), just as Archimedes said, right where he had left it mere minutes ago.

Tallon stood in the middle of the deserted common room, panting and holding the slightly crumpled letter at his side. Slowly he looked down and raised it to waist height. With a fear in his heart and a trepidation in his mind equal to one preparing to jump into and abyss, Tallon opened Madame Custos's letter and read.

Dear Tallon,

Thank you for writing back to me at last. I was beginning to think that you'd forgotten in all the excitement and fun you must be having at Hogwarts. But your letter made it clear enough that that was not the case. I'm deeply sorry to hear that you and Tyera were separated like this. The two of you have been best friends since you were infants. But remember Tallon, this separation is nothing but a different label. It does not change who you really are, and some one who is truly changed by what others think of them does not have strong character. So long as you and Tyera are still friends and want to be friends, nothing should stop you from doing so. If other students have a problem with the two of you being friends, you shouldn't pay them the slightest attention; it's their problem not yours. You and Tyera need each other as friends. Friendship is an invaluable thing, Tallon. Don't abandon it lightly. I sincerely hope that everything turns out well for you and Tyera and you remain friends for a long time.

Love,

Madame Custos

P.S. Don't forget your academics!

Tallon stared at the letter intently but not really comprehending it, as though it had not been written in English. The more he read it, the less it made sense. It seemed as though Madame Custos did not really understand the situation. This separation of houses wasn't just a label; it was a distinction of character. Tyera had always been a Slytherin, but not officially, she didn't want to be Tallon's friend anymore. Madame Custos's advice was useless because Tyera didn't need him; she had made that perfectly clear. Madame Custos was just like Ebony. Neither of them understood; neither of them could see that Tyera was a Slytherin at heart and that she had misled Tallon all their lives.

In some dormant part of his mind, Tallon knew that he had not known about the meaning of Tyera's and his visions until after he had sent the letter, and that he had not even mentioned the encounter with the Mirror of Erised. But that part of his mind was not in control; and that part of his mind was not presiding when Tallon, still standing, crushed Madame Custos's letter in his hands and hurled it with all his might into the empty fire place.