When Gwen returned home she felt more grateful than ever about her cosy home. Nap rubbed his head against her leg, and Wookey served her two Cornish pasties, one with lamb and mint and one with diced meat, onions, and sliced potatoes. A letter was lying on the kitchen table.
"An owl has brought it this afternoon," Wookey informed her, magically lighting a candlestick on the kitchen table.
Gwen looked at the letter. It was from Norma. She steeled herself. "I'll read it after dinner."
But she couldn't wait that long. She wasn't able to enjoy her pasties staring at the letter. So after some bites she ripped it open, and read it, turning red in the face, then pale.
"Is it bad news?" Wookey asked, alarmed, in her squeaky voice, then looked bashfully at the ground.
"She is going mad, I think," Gwen put the letter down. "She wants me to see her in London or at least to let her come here."
"And you don't want to see her?"
"No! What for? Everything has been said and done. I came here to be alone, and not see her anymore." Gwen ruffled her hair agitatedly.
Wookey merely nodded. "I see."
"And I don't know what to do. Someone must have told her where I live, or she could not have visited me in the fireplace yesterday. I don't want her to come here."
The pasties had gone a bit cold by now.
"Do you want me to heat them a bit for you, Miss?"
"No, Wookey, later. You know what. I'll try to contact Miss Carthew, I must tell her something."
She got up and went to the fireplace in the sitting-room, but then remembered that she had once more forgotten to get floo powder due to all the turmoil that had happened today. She sighed, then grabbed her cloak and went to Miss Carthew's house. Outside rain was pouring like buckets of water. She knocked at the old lady's door who opened it only a crack, looking surprised, then hastened to let her in.
"Oh dear, what are you doing in this pouring rain?"
"Sorry, Miss Carthew, I wanted to contact you by floo powder, but have run out of it. I wanted to talk to you, have you got some time?" She cast a drying charm on herself.
"Of course. Do sit down, please. Just let me finish brewing this catarrh potion because it needs constant stirring, I'll be with you in a minute."
She called Wookey, who apparated at once, and asked her to prepare a pot of violet tea for them. While Gwen was waiting in Miss Carthew's parlour, Wookey served the tea, looking at Gwen somewhat reproachfully. Miss Carthew finished brewing her potion in her tiny laboratory next door.
"I amended this potion a bit, you know," the old lady informed Gwen when she joined her in the parlour. "I added some of the violets I've plucked this spring."
She sat down on an old-fashioned armchair, took a sip, then put the cup down and looked at Gwen expectantly.
And Gwen told her what had happened in the Department of Mysteries.
Miss Carthew listened quietly until Gwen was finished. She only interrupted her now and then to ask for some more details.
Afterwards she kept silent for a while, just looking out of the window with its crochet curtain. A small wrinkle appeared on her forehead.
"Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries. I can't recollect anything like this happening in my time." She shook her head. "I suppose the safety precautions are as strict as ever?"
Gwen nodded: "Of course. You know them all. I can't imagine how a Death Eater could have entered the Death Chamber." She thought of the complicated door code, the silver instrument, the Caverotari spell. And yet it had happened, a voice said inside her head.
"Do you still have these awful codes to open the black door," Miss Carthew asked, smiling softly.
"Yes. And they still change them every week. Do you think someone might have blabbed?"
"It's always a possibility. Perhaps involuntarily. Or unknowing that the other person is a Death Eater. Some even say that Lord Voldemort could come back."
Gwen flinched at the mentioning of the name. "But why would a Death Eater or You-know-who want to kill Archibald Dusk?"
"I've got no idea. That's what we must try to find out." The old lady took up her delicate porcelain cup again.
"We?" Gwen smiled. It was probably the first time today.
"You still haven't told me who found the body."
"Because I don't know."
"Well, didn't you say that you're going to meet your old schoolfriend on Saturday?" Miss Carthew raised her eyebrows innocently.
"Yes, I am." Gwen drained her cup, grinning, and felt suddenly hungry.
"It's always nice to meet old friends, isn't it?" she asked, cocking her head slightly.
Gwen grinned even broader. Too many people underestimated Miss Carthew. She wondered whether she should tell her about Norma, as she had intended to do, but then took her leave to return home and finish her dinner. Wookey followed her happily.
~ooOOooOOooOOooOOoo~
Friday, 22 April 1994
"AAAAAAArgh!"
In her office, Gwen looked up from the pile of parchment she was trying to sort. She leapt to her feet and ran to the Brain Room.
Firmin was standing in front of his working table, his arms and neck entangled in brain tentacles. Bob was also hurrying to his rescue. Ad was running out of his office.
"I'll try to hold him calm, you do the spells," Bob shouted when he saw that Gwen had already extracted her wand, trying to target the brain.
Bob grabbed Firmin by his shoulders from behind, and Gwen pointed her wand at the tentacles wrapping around Firmin's neck and arms. Ad joined her, his wand raised.
Firmin was panting, thick pearls of sweat covered his forehead, his eyes were wide open.
"Dissertio – dissuo – dissertio – dissuo," Gwen performed the nonverbal spells while closing down her mind as tightly as possible. Ad was doing the same.
"Try not to move," gasped Bob. Firmin was shivering, his face pale.
The tentacles one by one loosened Firmin, who sank to the ground, completely exhausted.
Gwen took a picker-arm lying on the table, took up the brain floating in the air, and put it back into the small tank on Firmin's table.
Bob and Ad helped Firmin to get up and sit on a chair. Gwen joined them. The older wizard looked up, whispering: "I … I don't know how it could happen."
"This can happen to anyone," Gwen said consolingly.
"I suppose I didn't pay attention for a moment, and then…"
"I'll get him to the infirmary," Ademarus said.
Bob examined the brain inside the tank, which was looking harmless and innocent. "I'll get some restorative potion for the brain," he said. The brain might look unscathed, but after having been outside its preservation solution it would need some maintenance.
Honoria and Vivi entered the Brain Room. While Ad accompanied Firmin, and Bob worked on the brain, Gwen informed the witches about the latest brain attack, taking off her skewed glasses to clean them with a Tergeo spell.
"No wonder one can't focus on one's work," commiserated Vivi, glancing meaningfully at the door leading to the Death Chamber. "With a … well… you know, such an incident next door!"
Honoria looked troubled: "I hope he'll get to the Mediwitch in time. Did you loosen the tentacles all right?"
"I hope so." Gwen said uneasily.
"I am sure you did your best." Honoria patted her on the shoulder. "What are you doing here so early?"
"Well, I don't know," Gwen admitted, "but I couldn't sleep this morning. This has never happened to me before, but it's been like this for – hem – three days now. So I thought I'd better come here to get some work done, since I have to work with Crow later on."
"Sorry girls, I'll go on, I have an appointment in the Hall of Prophecies," Vivi flashed her brilliant smile. "Got some Muggle prophecies for them. One wouldn't think so, but even muggles make prophecies. They call them economic forecasts, but nevertheless they are prophecies. And what's most interesting is the fact that a lot of people act based on those prophecies. Entire systems, even whole nations depend on them."
Isabelle looked impressed, but something stirred in the back of Gwen's mind: "Do you know Mrs Tancock?" she blurted out suddenly.
This question earned her a curious look from the platinum blonde.
"Yes, of course, Mabel Tancock works in the Hall of Prophecies, why do you ask?"
"Just asking…," Gwen answered clumsily, but ploughed on, "how is she like?"
"She is a hard-working, down-to-earth, and really competent woman," Vivi lowered her voice, "and I suppose you know that she was Dusk's first wife?"
Gwen answered with a nod.
"Wasn't very nice of him to abandon her after all those years," Vivi whispered, "for a younger one, I mean."
"He abandoned her?" Honoria asked surprised. "I thought it was the other way round!"
"Me too," Gwen whispered. "I've heard his first wife always gave him a hard time, that she was never content with him, and that they argued a lot."
"Who told you that?" Vivi raised one of her perfectly-shaped eyebrows.
Gwen and Honoria looked at each other, Gwen shrugged.
"There are always many sides to one story," Vivi said sagely, holding up her slender index finger. "You know how these rumours fly inside this Department. Now, I am not exactly her confessor, but I got a very different impression at that time... saw her red-rimmed eyes, and not only once. Well, won't say anymore now. Anyway, I am already late. See you!" And off she went on her high-heels, a cloud of perfume trailing behind her as always.
When she was out of earshot, Honoria waved her hand a bit and coughed. "Oh dear, I believe I've got a perfume allergy. Or perhaps I am just getting more and more sensitive every day. That's what this energy work does to you." She cocked her head, fingering the beautiful amethyst stones she was wearing. "Talking about sensitivity – perhaps you've been feeling all this commotion, and therefore been waking up that early?"
"Oh," said Gwen, taken aback. "Do you think so?"
"Why not? You're an empathic person. Do you still draw your card every morning?"
"Yes," Gwen shuddered. She wondered whether she should tell Honoria about yesterday's card, but decided against it. It sounded too unbelievable. "Today it was Five of Wands."
"Conflict and struggle. A lot of disagreement and dissatisfaction around," Honoria raised her eyebrows. "Now that's interesting. What's your interpretation?"
"I… I still cannot say," said Gwen hesitantly, thinking of the five men fighting with their wands, who were displayed on the card.
Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Isabelle.
"Bonjour, mesdames," she greeted them, but not with her usual bright smile. She looked earnest and a bit tired.
Honoria and Gwen returned her greeting, and after a short chat, Honoria and Isabelle went to their offices, while Gwen went up to Level Four "for the length of a little cigarette" before she had to meet Crow again.
~ooOOooOOooOOooOOoo~