Wonderful
The rest of the Holidays flew by. James, who had been mortally offended by the present that Caly had bought him, had spent most of the days hauled up in his room and came out on the last day to play a game of chess that lasted up until New Year and in which he came the closest he'd ever come to beating Caly. Al completely fell in love with Phineas, his puffskein, taking him everywhere on his shoulder and talking to him instead of everyone else. Caly spent most her time reading the books she'd been gotten for Christmas and looking forward to going back to Hogwarts, when Lily wasn't nagging her to do something with her.
They caught the train, on the 2nd January, back to Hogwarts. Lily cried when the scarlet steam engine pulled away but they all pointed out that by this time next year she'd have already been on it. There was an odd feeling in Harry's stomach as he watched the train pull away; a mixture of worry and guilt. He hadn't spoken to any of them about the sightings of Gerald. They had all been so happy and a very large part of him could not bring himself to destroy that happiness. He hadn't been anywhere near Hogwarts, they were safe, as far as he could tell.
The next day was Wednesday and, as classes began straight away, their first lesson back was Defence Against the Dark Arts. Caly often found herself loosing attentiveness very quickly in Professor Longbottom's lessons because, whilst he was most people's favourite teacher, he liked a practical approach, and to tell the same stories over and over. The problem with Defence Against the Dark Arts was that she wasn't exempt from doing magic, like Transfiguration, but, in fact, Professor Longbottom encouraged it. He was sure she just needed a bit of confidence, though how she got confidence from constant humiliation she wasn't sure. The other downside of Defence Against the Dark Arts was that your partner was randomly picked and, if you were unlucky, you could land someone from Slytherin or vice versa.
"New partners!" declared Professor Longbottom with a grin as he walked into the classroom. Caly wasn't the only person that groaned, at the moment she was paired with Michael Stone and as he was hopeless at DADA they goofed around for most of the lesson. None of her friends looked happy either because, Rose and Scor had landed each other which was just funny to watch and Al had Martin who he took a certain pleasure in hexing. Martin didn't care if he was hit by something, he was like a bouncy ball, down one moment, springing back up the next. It was actually quite unnerving.
"Okay, so I want a bit more inter-house unity." more groans. "So you're all partnered up with someone from the other house." there were lots of groans and complaints at this. Some of Slytherins jeered. "Tut, tut." said Professor Longbottom. "You'll need a better attitude than that to achieve in life." shaking his head he pulled out a piece of paper. "Right then can we have Sheridan Bletchly with Scorpius Malfoy." Caly was pretty sure her jaw nearly dislocated, it dropped open so fast. Scor had gone pale; sickly, ghostly, pale. His hands shook as he stared in disbelief at his Professor. He exchanged a glance with Caly before looking once at Bletchly, he was smirking, just slightly. Scor's jaw tightened, he swept his books off his desk and slammed them down next to Bletchly.
"Thank you Scorpius. Next Martin Creevy with Natalie Pucey." Caly watched poor Marin pale as the Natalie flounced over to him. He turned around and looked wide eyed at Al who shrugged unhelpfully. None of the other tormentors' names were called out after that, until…
"Catalina Hautly."
"Caly." she said rubbing her temples, a pained expression on her face. He blinked at her once before saying.
"Caly Hautly with Monica Vaisy." Uh oh. The thought flashed through her mind the moment the other name was called. Monica flipped her long hair and dropped into Scor's desk. There was more horror to come when Professor Longbottom paired 'Albus Potter and Andrea Zabini' and 'Rose Weasley and Timothy Nott'. All the Slytherins all looked relatively pleased with these arrangements, Caly, however, was pretty sure she had discovered her least favourite lesson all over again.
"Wonderful!" spat Scor as he came storming out of Defence Against the Dark Arts, the moment the bell had gone for break. "Just bloody wonderful!"
"How bad was it then?" asked Al, jogging to keep up with Scor who was striding down the corridor, determined to put as much distance between him and the classroom as possible.
"Terrible." muttered Caly.
"Nott was acting like Christmas had come all over again." said Rose bitterly, she was moving at a slower pace behind Al and Scor to keep up with Caly who was moving rather gingerly. "What happened to you?" she asked, concerned.
"Nothing, except being repeatedly thrown into a wall." the other three winced. Scor slowed down and Al fell back into step next to her.
"What was he using?"
"Expelliarmus."
"I could go and-"
"No Al!" said Caly, shaking her head firmly. "You were lucky to get away with it the first time. Don't go attacking them." Al shrugged but continued to look very concerned as she hobbled along.
"How could Neville let that happen?" he exclaimed.
"He was rather distracted by Martin and Pucey." said Caly through gritted as they made their way down the marble staircase.
"Oh." said Al. "I see." No one was quite sure what had happened between the two off them but somehow Martin had ended up on fire and Pucey had stinging warts covering all her exposed flesh.
"How did they do that to each other?" mused Rose.
"It's called ineptitude." Scor seemed to have calmed down a great deal.
"What was up with you and Bletchly? I could see you were rowing and I spent half the lesson on the floor." Scor shrugged.
"Me and Sheridan can't get on anymore." he said this very casually and both Rose and Al stared at him. "It's like we're the opposites of each other, I guess. There was once a time when we were very similar, so similar and that's why we're so different, he could be me and I could be him but we made our choices. We made them a long time ago, we separated and we never looked back. Well that's not true, I look back all the time, and he is, definitely." Rose and Al gaped at him open mouthed.
"So when you said that they were acquaintances you were lying." said Al. Scor tilted his head.
"Not really, I'm talking about when I was about seven years old."
"Scor does this have anything to do with-" Rose's sentence was cut off by the warning bell. The four of them sprung to their feet and hurried off to Charms, Caly ominously aware of what Rose had been about to ask.
Charms was a pretty great lesson to have really. Professor Flitwick was so old that he couldn't see to the back of the classroom and he certainly couldn't hear anyone in the second row back. The Ravenclaws took up the front rows anyway so it wasn't really their choice to sit out of range of his sight and hearing, it was more a happy coincidence. They, with the exception of Rose, liked to mess around and then copy off someone else later, or make a bargain with James.
Today, however, was an exception because it seemed that, though it was their first day back, Scor already had problems.
Caly! SM.
The note bounced onto her desk and she picked it up and unfolded it, on reading her name and the initials, she leant forward and mouthed
'What?' at Scor. Scor held up a hand and began to write on a piece of paper. Al raised an eyebrow from where he sat between them. She shrugged at him. Scor, thankfully, had good aim, as he was a chaser. The next note landed right in front of her. She unfolded it and read
What am I going to do? Rose wants to know about it! She's onto me I swear!
Caly rolled her eyes at the clear panic portrayed on the piece of paper. She dipped her quill into the ink and wrote back, below it
Scor you need to calm down. Rose can't be 'onto' you. She just wanted to know if you and Bletchly becoming enemies had anything to do with what happened. That doesn't mean she knows what actually happened. … Out of interest did it? CH.
Her aim was not nearly as good as his and it nearly flew off the front of his desk. She watched his reaction as he read what she'd said. He seemed to roll his and wrote back quickly.
What do you think? Of course it bloody did! Why do you think this whole thing started?
Caly breathed out through her teeth impatiently. His attitude was starting to bug her.
Listen Scor, I am your friend and I am here to help. I can get that you can only off-load your stresses onto me but I can't accept you shouting unnecessarily at me. I do have my own problems to deal with without you adding yours on top, because somehow you always seem to leap to the top of my priorities pile.
The next note she got wasn't from Scor but from Al.
Could you two try being a little more discreet? Flitwick is heading this way and he'll put us all in detention. ASP.
Caly smiled at Al's attempt to look out for his friends and passed it back him. He glanced at it and saw on the bottom she had scrawled;
Yeah, sorry. Pass it to Scor. Thanks.
He passed it on as Scor threw his note to Caly, Al rolled his eyes, that was going to get them caught. Caly read Scor's reply eagerly, knowing that emotions were running high and tempers were fraying.
Right, sorry. We should probably both calm down or we'll end up rowing again.
Scor didn't have time to gauge her reaction because he had something from Al resting on his desk. Unfurling it he read what both Al and Caly had written, looking up he saw that Flitwick was a row away. He hastily wrote.
Right okay, but how?
Don't throw
Was the instant reply he got from Al.
Okay but you'll have to pass. Flitwick was at Rose's desk and Al quickly passed him two notes, his and the one from Caly.
Don't worry I didn't read., I didn't want to corrupt my innocence.
Scor scowled at Al who was grinning slightly. He flipped to Caly's hoping it would be more useful.
That's cool. We'll talk after lunch.
Flitwick was not impressed by the amount, or lack, of progress they'd made. He gave all three of them extra homework and Rose looked at them all disapprovingly. When he was gone she sent a message to Al and the other two crowded round it.
You guys shouldn't spend your time passing notes. This stuff is important. What happens when I don't want to share my class notes with you? You won't have anything to work with. All you'll have are those stupid notes that you spent your time passing. RW
She received one word replies from each person.
Hypocrite
Hypocrite
Hypocrite
"Well that was a brilliant lesson." said Scor enthusiastically. He seemed much better now that Caly had promised they'd talk.
"I don't know what you're talking about?" said Rose, in a very annoyed voice. "How can you be so immature, Scor?" Scor blinked and took a step back. She suddenly threw a hand over face and ran off crying. They all blinked after her, not entirely sure what was going on. It wasn't like Rose to randomly burst into tears.
"Um." said Scor, turning to the other two. "Did I do something wrong?" Al shrugged.
"I think one of us should go after her." they both looked at Caly who was actually half way down the corridor, sprinting in the direction Rose had gone. Both boys stared at Caly's receding head then turned to each other.
"So.." said Al. "Lunch?"
"Excellent!" said Scor throwing his arm around Al's shoulders, Al looped his arm around Scor's and the two sauntered off to the Great Hall.
"James!" called Caly, spotting him through the crowd.
"Caly." said James coolly, he still hadn't forgiven her for the present.
"James do you have the map?" James looked at her than burst out laughing. Caly who desperately needed to find Rose, but had lost her was not at all impressed with his reaction. When James had managed to control his laughter he said
"Caly I don't carry the map around with me, I can make it to lessons and back without direction." Caly gaped at him, she had always assumed that James would keep the map on him always.
"Well… well, that's just useless!" she exclaimed.
"It's charming to help you too." he replied, walking off with his friends, shaking his head and laughing.
Caly let out a frustrated groan, stamping her foot, as the hallway cleared. Where could Rose be? Why had she even run off crying in the first place? Why was she so angry at Scor? Caly, too, had been passing notes and Al had even gotten involved in the end. What was up with her?
Hurrying off down the corridor Caly looked left and right into the little alcoves that housed the suits of armour and could, potentially, hide a crying child. However Rose wasn't crouched in any of them and Caly was about to pronounce it a wild goose chase, she had no idea where Rose might have gone when she spotted a girls bathroom. A smile alighted her face as she realised that that was the other popular place for crying people to go.
Carefully pushing open the door she looked around the seemingly empty bathroom.
"Rose?" she called out. The sound echoed off the white tiles as she made her way towards the stalls. "Rosie are you in here?" there was no response and Caly was about to turn and leave, there were lots of bathrooms in Hogwarts therefore Rose could be in any of them, when she heard a small sniffle.
"Okay Rose, I'm pretty sure I know you're there so if you don't open up I will make you." there was a pause and then the door of the last stall creaked open.
Out came Rose, her face was streaked with tears. Her eyes were red and her nose was running in a very unpleasant way. Her hair looked wild, like it did when she'd just woken up or played Quidditch. Caly felt entirely out of her depth; what was going on?
"Rosie." she said, trying to bridge the silence that had suddenly sprung between them. Rose just stood there for a moment staring at Caly, until she said
"I'm useless." and all the tears came pouring back down her face. A very tiny part of Caly was tempted to roll her eyes, what was with her friends and their poor self esteem? True Scor hadn't ever mentioned it again but that didn't mean he didn't feel it, she knew she felt like that sometimes, they should start a club.
"Rose."
"No really." she said. "Think about it. I study so hard but what for?" Caly frowned, Rose studied hard so she got good grades, right? "I study, I pay attention in lessons, I do my own work but then when it comes to exams Scor does just as well as me! It's not fair!" Oh, thought Caly, so it was about not being clever enough.
"Rose you are clever, you do know that don't you." Rose shook her head, like she was trying to hold onto what she was believing. "Look." said Caly, swiftly crossing the bathroom till she stood in front of Rose and put both hands on her shoulders. "There are different types of clever, and smart, you know that right?" Rose just stared at her the tears starting to stop. Caly took a deep breath and continued. "I'm, like, people-smart. I, generally, know what to say to cheer people up. Then there's the kind of intelligent, clever that Scor is, you know, he gets things like that." she took a hand off Rose's shoulder to click her finger. "And to be honest Rosie, you're that kind of clever, too. You just also have a load more." Caly released Rose's shoulder's to gesticulate. "Common sense, I guess, you work harder, you know that hard work is going to get you far in life, that's intelligent." Rose blinked at her.
"You think that?"
"Yeah, I mean we all know we should work but none of us actually pay heed to it because it's not what we want. You've just got a load more self-discipline, besides all you've got to go on are the exams and if you cram revise, anyone can do well. It's not the best indicator of intelligence. Let's face it Rose, you're one of the smartest people in the year, why do you think you and Scor argue all the time? It's because you're both very intelligent but you see things differently." Rose breathed deeply and then hastily scrubbed her face to wipe away the stray tears.
"I guess I'm being not very intelligent by getting worked up about this." Caly tilted her head to the side.
"I wouldn't say that, we're all human Rosie. We all have our faults." Rose smiled at her.
"You know however conceited you sounded you were right, you are people smart." Caly rolled her eyes.
"Well obviously, I'm not famed for my modesty." Rose laughed and crossed to the sink. Turning on one of the taps she ran her hands under the water for a couple of seconds and then wiped them across her face."Out of interest." said Caly, as she leaned against the neighbouring sink. "What brought that on?"
"Erm." replied Rose, drying her face and hands on the towel. "I guess it was you lot messing around and not paying attention in Charms and knowing that Scor would do better than me in it, even though I worked in lessons." Caly nodded.
"Rose, you can't help it if he's naturally more talented than you. I mean, Scor works hard for Liann but he never does better than you, does he?" Rose considered it.
"I never thought of that." Caly just about refrained from rolling her eyes.
"C'mon let's grab lunch and you better talk to the boys, you left them rather confused." Rose sighed.
"Great, wonderful, just what I wanted." Caly froze. The wheels in her mind turning.
Wonderful
"Caly?" asked Rose, waving a hand in front of her friends vacant face.
What's in a name? Wonderful I am but wonderful am I?
Wonderful. Magic. Wizards and Witches…
Wonderful Wizard of Oz!
Caly broke from her trance when she reached the conclusion. Her eyes went wide and she grabbed Rose. "I did it!" she exclaimed.
"What?" asked Rose, completely confused.
"The riddle! Rose you're a genius!"
"What?" she asked still completely confused.
"Come on we have to get the boys!" she grabbed Rose's hand and pulled her off towards the Great Hall, bemused Rose ran after her.
Scor and Al were sitting in the Great Hall talking about Quidditch. Both of them had suddenly realised that they rarely spent any time with out the girls. The time when they'd all been rowing hardly seemed to count because their conversations had mainly been one sided and far from normal. Again times in the dormitory couldn't be counted as there were often other people there and there conversations tended to revolve around Scor hogging the bathroom and Al being too messy. No the two of them meant they rarely spent any time together alone. Scor found himself constantly rolling his eyes at what Al said and laughing at his remarks, that were rather, unintentionally, stupid. Al found himself behaving rather childishly because he wasn't able to come back with witty or intelligent retorts to Scor's sarcastic remarks. That was why, when Caly came charging into the Great Hall dragging Rose behind her, Al was lobbing peas at Scor's head.
"Al! Scor!" she called out skidding to halt between the two boys. "The clue I know what the clue is!" both of them stared at her for a second and weren't really allowed anytime to register what she said because she had grabbed Al's hand, who was nearest to her, and began to pull him out of the hall. Al just had time to grab Scor's and the three of them compliantly let themselves be towed along by Caly.
"So." said Scor when they were deposited by a table in the library, Caly had gone to find Madame Pince. "Are you alright now?" Rose, who had been casually examining the names on spines of the books, turned to him.
"Yeah." she replied. Al looked up, replacing his glasses on his nose from where he'd been cleaning them on his robes.
"You sure?" he asked. "You seemed really upset earlier." Rose nodded.
"I-I just had a little… moment." Scor seemed to know what she meant but Al continued to look confused.
"Moment?" Rose sighed sweeping her hair from her face.
"I just, I just had a moment of self doubt, that's all." Al seemed to understand a bit better.
"Oh so is that why you were shouting at Scor?" Rose blinked, not expecting him to understand.
"Wait, what?" asked Scor, who was starting to feel a bit confused.
"I just felt completely useless, that's all, because you weren't paying attention in Charms but I know you're going to do better than me in the exams in it." Scor nodded.
"But you don't feel like that anymore?" he questioned, he remembered his own feelings like that so he knew how unpleasant it was.
"No, Caly set me straight."
"I set what straight?" asked Caly as she returned with a book in her arms.
"Never mind." said Rose. "What book have you got?" asked Al. She dumped it down on the table, making them all jump, they stared at it with expressions of dawning comprehension. The title of the book read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
"Well." said Caly after they continued to stare at it. "Aren't you going to say something?"
"That is…" said Rose.
"Unexpected." suggested Al.
"Definitely." said Scor. "I wasn't expecting it to be quite so… obvious." there was a long pause, then Rose said
"So what's the plot?" Caly opened her mouth, closed it and then launched into an explanation.
"Let me get this straight." said Al, after spending half an hour listening to Caly explain the book to them. "It's about a girl-"
"Dorothy." he rolled his eyes.
"It's about a girl called Dorothy who gets stuck in a hurricane. Her house gets sucked up and when she lands, she lands on the wicked witch of the east who ruled 'Munchkin land' in Oz." Caly nodded. "Then the good witch of the north came and told her to follow the yellow brick road to see the wizard of Oz because he'd be able to send her home."
"Yeah."
"On the way she met a lion, a tinman and scarecrow who could all talk and they all decided to go to the wizard so they could get what they wanted. When they get to the wizard he tells them that they need to go kill the Wicked Witch of the West to get what they want. Dorothy gets kidnapped by said witch. Eventually she gets very angry when the witch steals one of her shoes, which she took of the dead Witch of the East, that she threw a bucket of water over her head, melting her. Then they go back to the 'City of Emeralds' and her dog discovers that the Wizard isn't a wizard at all but someone who got blown there by his balloon. The Wizard gives the scarecrow, tinman and lion these phoney gifts that are what they wanted and says he'll have to take Dorothy back by himself. However the balloon flies off without her so the four of them, and the dog, go to the Good Witch of the South and she tells her that if she taps her heels three times and wishes to go home she'll get there. She does it and her and the dog wake up back where she started." Caly thought over everything he said for a moment.
"Yep." she said nodding her head. "Pretty much." the others looked at her like she was mad. "It's a fantasy novel." she said. "It's not meant to be realistic, unless you read the entire thing as a dream, and then it's one hell of a dream." they all blinked at her for a second longer before Scor asked.
"So who's it by?"
"L. Frank Baum." she said, swivelling the cover so he could read it. Again, all their mouths dropped open. "What?" she asked, really confused as to what was so mind-boggling about this story.
"Do you mean the L. Frank Baum, as in Lyman Frank Baum?" Caly shrugged in response to Rose's question.
"I dunno, maybe."
"When was it written?" asked Scor, a fervent look in his eyes.
"Erm." she flicked through the first pages of the book. "Not sure, I think, maybe around turn of the nineteenth century."
"And he's American?" checked Al.
"Yep." said Caly.
"It's him." said Rose. "Got to be."
"Who?" asked Caly, even more impatient.
"L. Frank Baum was a squib." said Scor slowly. "He came from the single most powerful magical family in America from the 1700s to the early-to-mid 1900s. It was the Baum family that first set up a school of magic that was like Hogwarts. Before there were lots of smaller schools dotted about, but if you didn't live near one then you wouldn't get taught magic, it would be down to your family. They fell out of grace, however, when it was discovered that they'd had dealings with Grindlewald."
"Grindle-who?" asked Caly. There was a moment in which her three friends all closed their eyes and then Al, who'd opened his first, took up the narrative.
"Grindlewald was a very powerful wizard. He went to Durmstrang, another wizarding school, and he was friends with Dumbledore." Caly nodded. "Um, he, well, he sort of built up an army, really, and started trying to take over."
"Where?"
"Everywhere." said Rose. "He was really powerful, I think he had the elder wand in his possession and he wasn't defeated until Dumbledore duelled him. He was sent to the prison he'd built, Nuermgaurd." Caly nodded, thinking it over, only one part really striking her.
"He had the elder wand, as in one of the Deathly Hallows?" Rose nodded.
"Yeah, funny that."
"Coincidence?" asked Al. Caly shook her head.
"I don't think it matters, we used that clue to get us here. What did the Baum family do with Grindlewald?"
"Well." said Scor. "I think at the time the muggles were having a war, and Grindlewald was using it as a smokescreen really." Caly frowned, trying to do the dates in her head.
"WWII?" she asked.
"I don't know." said Scor. "But anyway, America was on the opposite side but the Baum family had been exchanging letters with Grindlewald for years, 'sharing' magical knowledge. So when he asked them to support him, they obliged. I think they sent him food for his army, 'cause you can't conjure food, and stuff like that. In the end, though, they were tried for treason by the American Ministry of Magic. It didn't effect the school, much, it just dropped from 1st to 2nd, it lost out to Blauvelt." Caly nodded, turning it over, trying to assess what was relevant in that and what wasn't.
"We need to go back to the original riddle." said Rose, finally, after they'd all sat pensively in thought for five minutes. The others nodded.
"So is the stuff about the Baum's irrelevant?" asked Al, slowly rotating his neck to try and alleviate a soreness. "Are we going back to the book?" Both Scor and Rose made non-committal movements but Caly shook her head.
"I think… I think I may have a link." she said. The others frowned at her and leant forwards. "I need to know something first? Why is Baum famous in the Wizarding world, is it just because of his name?" Al shrugged but Rose and Scor shook their heads.
"It's because he's a writer." said Rose. "He wrote some excellent fiction books; The Re-Awakening of King Arthur, The Spirits Beyond the Veil."
"The list goes on." completed Scor. Caly nodded a grin beginning to spread across her face.
"See!" she exclaimed, both hands gesturing. "It's about names!" there was a pause and then Al, shaking his head, said
"I don't follow." Scor nodded and Rose just stared blankly at her.
"It's not about names, it's about names."
"And the difference is?" asked Scor.
"It's the names we give to people." there were still frowns on Al and Rose's faces but Scor's was almost starting to clear as if he was beginning to guess what she was saying. "Baum was a squib, he's given a label that classifies him as something useless, but he's the most famous that family because he's famous in both the Muggle and Wizarding worlds." Rose's expression was beginning to clear up, too. Al still looked a bit confused.
"But how does that answer the riddle?" Caly held up a hand.
"Just give me a second, I think I'm getting there." there was a pause, another silence then Rose said.
"His family was 'wonderful' weren't they? They were one of the best loved family, until the whole Grindlewald thing." Scor nodded along to what she was saying and Caly listened intently, the pieces fitting.
"Wonderful I am but wonderful am I?" quoted Al. "They seemed wonderful but actually they weren't because they betrayed their country."
"Exactly." said Scor. "Then, I think, the next course in this puzzle is Grindlewald."
"Maybe it's the Hallows." suggested Al. Caly shook her head.
"I don't think so. I doubt they'd be send us round in circles." the other two nodded.
"Yeah, I think, maybe." Scor glanced at Al. "Dumbledore." Rose frowned.
"Dumbledore?" she questioned.
"Well think about it." he said, twisting himself to her. "We followed the downfall of the Baum's to Grindlewald, doesn't it make some semblance of sense to follow the downfall of Grindlewald?" Rose nodded.
"Yeah, I guess."
"So are we on Dumbledore, as he was the downfall of Grindlewald." there was a round of nods from the other three when Al said that.
"What do we do now?" asked Scor, twisting round in his chair he gazed into the library. "He's got to be in all the books of modern history." Rose rolled her eyes.
"We don't need to read books, we should just go to McGonagall's office and talk to his portrait." Caly shook her head.
"You're all forgetting." she raised her wrist, showing the feather and the faint burn. "I can see all of Fawkes' memories who has seen all of Dumbledore's. It won't take long to find out what we want, what do we want to know?" there was a long pause, in which they all exchanged looks.
"Find out about Grindlewald." said Al. "See what happened between them." Caly nodded. She closed her eyes, her right hand reaching across to her left wrist to fiddle with the feather there. As she passed further back into the memories that she had seen from Fawkes, her friends noticed that the marking on wrist began to glow.
Returning from the memories was like breaking through the surface of a swimming pool. She sat in her chair gasping for a few seconds trying to adjust to the sensation of being there.
"Caly?" asked Al. She noticed that her three friends had moved closer, that they'd crowded rounded her chair. "Are you okay?" She closed her eyes and breathed deeply.
"Yeah.. yeah." she nodded.
"Sure?" asked Scor. She nodded again.
"Positive, I'm just not used to that."
"So did you find anything?" asked Rose. Caly nodded.
"Loads, some of it I reckon we can discard 'cause it's pretty… private." the others frowned.
"What?" Caly licked her lips nervously.
"I don't know if this is common knowledge, but I got the impression that it won't be, but Dumbledore was in love with Grindlewald." there was a very long shocked pause in which Caly gathered that that was indeed some sort of secret. Al exchanged wide eyed looks with Rose whilst Scor sat back on his heels, running a hand through his blonde hair.
"I see." he said. "That's… unexpected." he still had a frown on his face and Caly was beginning to wonder whether telling them had been a good idea, now that she thought about it she didn't know of a single gay person in Hogwarts, in such a big school she would expect there to be at least one. Maybe wizards were even more traditional than muggles.
"Err." she said, breaking the silence that had fallen upon them. "Is it… okay for a wizard to be gay?" there was another pause and then Al broke down into laughter. Rose followed him in a burst of giggles and Scor rolled his eyes, a grin forming across his face.
"No." he said. "It's not." Caly rolled her eyes at him this time, glad to hear the very sarcastic tone of his voice.
"You know it's lucky I can tell when you're being sarcastic." Scor put on a contemplative face.
"Yes, I suppose it is." he shook his head. "Let's set the record straight, being gay is okay." Caly burst out laughing, Al broke down once more and Rose rolled her eyes.
"What?" said Scor. "I thought that was quite good."
"Yeah." said Rose. "In your head."
"Well at least I can-"
"Guys!" called Caly. "Shut up and focus and…" there was a pause and her eyes slid out of focus.
"Caly?" asked Al waving a hand up and down in front of her face. "You alright?"
"We're supposed to be in class." she hissed. The others rolled their eyes.
"I think looking into Dumbledore's memories must be messing with your own." said Scor casually. "We don't have a lesson after Lunch Caly, we have astronomy after dinner." she blinked for a couple of seconds.
"What? Oh yeah.. I..I forgot."
"Clearly." said Scor dryly. "Moving on we should figure out where we're going to go from-"
"Snape." said Caly instantly. "He killed Dumbledore, whether or not on Dumbledore's orders he was his downfall." the others nodded but then Rose said.
"It… it couldn't be." she jerked her head towards Scor ever so slightly. Caly shook her head. "No, he was never going to do it." there was a pause in which Al nodded silently and Scor frowned.
"Who are you talking about?" he asked.
"No one." said Al quickly and Scor frowned even deeper at that.
"So…" he said trying to alleviate the sudden tension. "Should we head to McGonagall's office and have a little chat with Snape." Caly shook her head.
"Oh come on." he said, a little annoyed. "What else have you got."
"I don't disagree that we should talk to his portrait but I think Al should go alone." there was a silence in which everyone recalled the only other conversation they'd had with Professor Severus Snape.
"I guess that makes sense." said Rose, turning to her cousin she said. "You up for it?" Al, who looked a little nervous nodded.
"Sure."
"Brilliant." said Rose clapping her hands together. "I think we got a lot done today and there's no time like the present Al. The three of us may as well head back to the common room."
Al stood outside the gargoyle to McGonagall's office. He frowned up at it, trying to think what the password could be.
"Oh c'mon." he said to it. "I know it's a head teacher. I need to speak to the portrait of Professor Snape, it's urgent." However, before he'd finished the sentence, the gargoyle had sprung to it's side. He blinked for a second and then realised he'd said the name of a headmaster. He rolled his eyes, of course, they had to get in and most people got impatient and shouted their reasons for coming at the gargoyle, thus opening it.
Running up the stairs he flattened himself to the wall as Ewan Tirrel came charging down. He shot Al a sly, superior look before leaving through the open space at the bottom. With a look at contempt at his departing back Al hurried up and rapped on the door.
"Enter." came the voice of McGonagall. Al pushed open the door. Professor looked up at him and sighed. "You wish to Professor Dumbledore?" she asked. "Or Professor Snape." Al, who had blinked at first at the mention of Dumbledore, said
"Professor Snape, professor." she nodded and got up.
"I'll be through there." she said, gesturing to another door to the left of Al. "Just leave when you are done, and close the door." he nodded. She left the room and he turned his face up to the portraits of his namesakes.
"Hello Professor Snape and Dumbledore." the two awake portraits nodded down at him.
"Hello Mr Potter." said Dumbledore. "It is a pleasure to see you again, and looking so healthy." Al smiled up at the portraits, it was good to speak to the person he'd looked up to all his life again.
"Al, please." he said up to him. "It's nice to see you too, Professor, and you Professor Snape." Professor Snape nodded down at him.
"Good day Mr Potter."
"Al." he corrected. Professor Snape blinked at him.
"Good day, Al." he said.
"Now I believe you wanted to talk to me?" Al nodded, however he remained silent.
"Erm, well, I don't really know what I want to ask you." he said, a little embarrassed. "I'm here about the game." he said. Professor Snape nodded but didn't say anything. "So, do you have anything to say?" Professor Dumbledore's eyes twinkled down at him whilst Snape seemed to gather himself.
"You are aware, I presume, of my feelings for your grandmother?" Professor Snape asked. Al nodded.
"I know the story, yeah, my dad told me." Snape's beady eyes bore down on him, nodded very slightly.
"Lily was a beautiful girl, I saw that right from the moment I met her. Beauty is something that is rare in this world. True beauty is something that is near impossible to find. Your grandmother had true beauty, she saw good in everything, even me. Even when I was not worthy of it. Not worth any of it." Al narrowed his eyes.
"Can I ask you a question?" he said, politely. Snape rolled his eyes.
"Yes, you may."
"Is this what you tell all the people who come looking for the clue." he snorted.
"Some times I think that you are very different from your father, but now I see that you do still hold some of the Potter idiocy." Al, used to the insults from Scor, brushed it aside, more interested in Dumbledore's sigh. "Of course, I do not tell all students this. I tell them that they must find true beauty. However." he said his eyes narrowed. "I may be giving you a hand." Al frowned unsure.
"You've given me a hand?" he said slowly. "How?" Snape gave a long suffering sigh.
"Must I spell it out for you. I told you what defined true beauty in your grandmother." Al frowned, trying to piece it all together.
"So I'm looking for someone who saw good in everything?" he questioned the portrait. Professor Snape gave a tiny nod. "And it's not Professor Dumbledore." he said, to clarify the thoughts in his head. Dumbledore shook his head, his blue eyes twinkling.
"No, though I'm flattered that you think I saw good in everything." Al nodded, not really listening. "Well I better go and talk it over with my friends, they'll have ideas. Thanks for all your help." he waved, quite enthusiastically, at the portraits before dashing from the room. There was the fading sound of the door slamming for a moment before Dumbledore turned to Snape.
"Well Severus, what do you think of young Mr Potter?" Snape stayed silent for a long while, staring at the door.
"He has more than Lily's eyes." he said softly. "He exudes none of the arrogance that his grandfather, father nor brother do." Dumbledore sighed at Snape calling Harry arrogant because, in his opinion, the two James' had been, a little, but not Harry."I knew you had it inside of you." said Dumbledore. Snape turned a glare on him.
"Don't say anything more, Albus." he warned. Dumbledore just grinned merrily at him, his blue eyes shining even more. The door through which McGonagall had departed opened again.
"Ah Minerva." said Dumbledore, diverting his attention away from the brooding Snape. "Have you discovered the wonders of knitting patterns yet?" Snape vaguely heard McGonagall's exasperated, negative response, his mind, however, was mainly focused on the young Potter and Lily.
"So we have to find someone that sees goodness in everyone that isn't Great Aunt Lily or Dumbledore." Rose was sitting on a sofa, her elbow resting on knee, her hand cupping her face. Al nodded.
"Yeah." Scor checked his watch from where he was lounged next Rose, his arms thrown over the back. "10 minutes till dinner." he said. "Sorry Caly!" he added when, putting his arm over the back, he whacked her in the head. She waved it away, listening to what Al was beginning to say.
"Thank god I'm starved." there were eye rolls from both girls.
"Really Al?" asked Caly. "Can't you keep your mind off your stomach and on the task at hand?" Al shook his head and Rose supplied.
"He's like my dad, mind ruled by his stomach." "Wonderful." exclaimed Caly throwing both hands up. There was a moments silence and then her three friends burst out laughing. She rolled her eyes.
"What? If I'd said Deathly Hallows would it have been funny?" Rose shook her head.
"No, it's just that that's how you figured out the clue so it's kind of funny when you do it." Caly blinked at her.
"I'm really not getting this joke." she said.
"You don't have to." pointed out Scor. "We're laughing at you and it's never a good thing if you're laughing at yourself."
"Except if you're Al." said Rose and her and Scor went back into hysterics. Caly's lips twitched and Al pouted.
"One day I will do something immensely clever and you will all thank me."
"Err Al, hate to burst you bubble but that days been and gone." pointed out Caly. Al huffed.
"Well, I'll do something else." he looked incredibly petulant and they all burst out laughing. Scor even leant down and ruffled his hair
"OI!" Al exclaimed. "What have I told you about messing with the Potter hair?" Scor rolled his eyes and grinned cockily at him. "Besides I'm not a dog."
"Really?" said Scor. "You had me fooled." Al grabbed the cushion Caly was leaning on whacked Scor. Scor grabbed the one next to him and attacked him back. A giant cushion fight erupted before Caly and Rose, Caly grinned watching them whilst Rose rolled her eyes and tapped her finger against the side of the couch, clearly impatient about their chance to solve the puzzle being held up.
Caly used the Astronomy lesson to think. She was pretty sure that there was no person in history that saw good in everyone. Their Great Aunt Lily couldn't have seen good in someone like Riddle, just like she pretty sure no one could see good in Hitler. She was also very sure she wasn't going to be very much use on this. She didn't know of famous witches and wizards and all muggles would have to be very famous or, like Baum, have a connection to the magical world. She couldn't think who it was, however as she gazed up at the partially cloudy night sky and saw the moon shining extra bright, she began to think that there was something they were missing.