Chapter Eleven
Loans and Sharks
It was the fact that a large number of seats in the Great Hall were empty that made Leu realize that something was going on. Not even Noah seemed to be around, so Leu walked out into the corridor towards the library when Keir caught up with him.
"What are you doing in the castle? Don't you want to go out to the pitch?" Keir asked.
"But I don't have practice until tomorrow…"
"Never mind that, come on. I don't suppose you could loan me a pair of sickles?" Keir asked, pulling him along with him.
"Maybe. How long do you want the loan for?" Leu asked seriously.
"I dunno, 'til my father shows up to watch the events, I suppose," Keir shrugged.
"Rather hard to figure out a fair interest rate when I don't even know how long the loan is for," Leu commented. Keir rolled his eyes.
"Don't get all goblin on me, Murphy, there are enough of those running around as it is," Keir said. Leu stopped short.
"What do you mean?" Leu demanded.
"Out there, of course, but we'll hit the Hogsmeade corner of the pitch first. There are more food options over there," Keir coaxed. "Come on, don't you want to see what's set up on the grounds? Well, I'm going, even if you're not."
Leu watched with a frown as Keir continued on towards the pitch, noticing how many other students were going in the same direction. Finally his strong curiosity won out and Leu hurried to catch up with his friend.
In the center of the Quidditch Pitch dozens of students had already gathered for practice while others hung around the lunch table, which now simply held sack lunches and drinks instead of the variety it had before. There was plenty of variety to be had elsewhere, for a great number of vendor tents had been set up along the bottom of the stands… some plain white while others were colorful with streamers or flags on top. As Keir walked over to the more conservative side of the pitch, Leu noticed a familiar face and veered towards one of the more popular booths… one that featured candy, ice cream, and a large selection of small toys, games, and collectables. Leu glanced at a cloth banner tied around the top of the poles, which read: "St. Mungo's Orphan's Fund". Right beside it was a much larger tent which had a similar banner that read: "St. Mungo's Reconstruction Project", which had a rather impressive collection of paintings, gifts, and books, along with a small fruits and vegetable stand and a wooden platform with a shelf full of alchemy supplies for any students needing refills of ingredients. Leu squinted when he noticed that a young goblin seemed to be attending the alchemy potions, while Alicia Pyther watched the other half of the shop from a stool, giving her feet a rest while Ginger Snape stocked the shop and tried to glean what information she could about pregnancy in general from the other expectant mother.
"All right, who's next?" Lindsay asked with exasperation.
"Apollo was next, I believe," Corey said, handing a parcel off to Max Starling. Excitedly, Max hurried off to find Maurice and the others. "Let's try splitting this up. How about you take over toys and I'll man the ice cream side?"
"Can I help?" asked one of the three younger helpers that were there. He had dark hair and a tan complexion, and looked to be nine or ten from his height.
"You can help most by stocking the Wizards of MC cards, Hadrian. Delaina, would you stock the candy?" Corey said. "Everyone who is just here for the pumpkin ice cream, make a line to the right."
"Here, you get the ice cream and I'll get the cards. You were going to lend me two sickles, weren't you?" Keir said, holding his hand out.
"Well, all right, but I really shouldn't give you the coins before I've had a chance to write out the contract yet…"
"Let's not get silly again," Keir said impatiently, taking the money and going over to stand in line, while Leu found himself wondering what he meant by that.
"How many?" Corey asked when Leu made it to the front of the line.
"Um… two, please," Leu said, wondering how Keir was going to pay him for the cone when he had just borrowed money for the cards.
"Thank you very much," Corey said in an almost playful tone, handing over the cones.
"Just what are you doing here? Don't you have your own booth?" Leu asked, taking the cones.
"I have a large one at the Pavilions, and a small one with just ingredients right next door, as you can see. That's Dasher over there running it for me right now, actually, his brother Sprinter is with my clerks back at the other booth," Corey explained, getting another cone for the next student in line.
"But that doesn't explain why you're here," Leu said.
"I suppose you'd call it, 'paying it forward,'" Corey said with a smile. "Can there be any better reason? Now, who is next in line? How many?"
"What do you suppose he means by that?" Leu asked Keir when he joined him near the front of the other line.
"By what?"
"I asked him what he was doing here, and he said 'paying it forward'," Leu explained.
"Oh, that's just some silly catch phrase they're using these days to tell you to support local charities and stuff," Keir shrugged, grabbing ten packs of cards.
"It is a bit more than that," Lindsay said, counting the packs. "Paying it forward means that when someone does you a good turn, you show your gratitude by helping others. That way, it keeps the original good deed going, perpetuating more and more down the line as those you helped do the same."
"Wait… you lost me. If you don't pay back the person who originally helped you, how could helping someone else possibly matter? You still owe the original debt," Leu protested.
"Well, yes but… honestly, I think it's something you'll have to try for yourself to understand, Leu" Lindsay said with a smile.
"All right," Leu said, pushing his cone at Keir. Keir stared at Leu in surprise as he stepped behind the counter. "I would like to, thanks." Lindsay looked up at Corey, who smiled warmly in response.
"Hadrian, why don't you introduce Leu to the others and show him how to stock?" Corey suggested cheerfully, going back to what he was doing.
For the rest of the week, when Leu didn't have a practice, he was helping at the booth, often finding different adults waiting for him when he came. Sirius Black had been there one day, and Taylor Brittle another, although no matter who was there, a goblin dutifully looked after the alchemist supplies within the main Mungo's tent.
Noah often watched Leu with a frown… sometimes invisible, sometimes above the booths on the back of his Thestral, wondering about his friend's odd behavior and determination. On the nights the Leu had practice, he came back to the room particularly exhausted and had very little to say, finishing his homework and collapsing on his bed without so much as a word to Noah.
"Don't you have to help with the qualifiers for the underwater obstacle course this weekend?" Noah complained when he came in late on Friday as well.
"Yes, of course," Leu yawned.
"You're coming in awfully late then, don't you think?" Noah said. Leu gazed at him quizzically then at the clock, putting down his books.
"I was studying in the Owl room. Did I miss something?" Leu asked.
"Forget it," Noah said with annoyance, turning to his own homework, which he had yet to touch.
"Did you need help with that? I expect it'd be better to get everything but our ghost interviews done before the ball tomorrow," Leu offered.
"I'll be all right. Who did Professor Scribe give you to interview?" Noah asked.
"The Fifth Floor Phantom," Leu said. "I was rather hoping to get you, but she thought it'd be better if I interviewed someone else since we were friends already."
"That's all right, he's a good friend of Myrtle's so maybe we can introduce you at the ball," Noah suggested. "You are going to hang with Myrtle and me, aren't you?"
"Well, maybe for a little bit, although… well, I did promise to hang with Amy Weasley too. I hope you don't mind if she comes along," Leu said.
"Amy Weasley?" Noah grimaced. "Why would you want to hang with her? She's a bit of an airhead, isn't she?"
"No, she's not, she's just rather focused on her interests, is all… see, her father and I used to work together, and she's interested in treasure hunting and archeology and other things I'm not sure the other first years really understand. But I do, you see, so she asked if she could go with me because she's had some trouble relating to some of the others… sort of like how I was when I first came here," Leu explained.
"No, you were much worse than she is. At least she's got her looks, so more than likely she'll always have boys following her around no matter how much she talks about excavation or whatever the hell else she prattles about," Noah said critically.
"I think I'm going to bed," Leu decided. "And I very much hope you're in a better mood in the morning."
"It'll be like any other morning. They're all the same," Noah said irritably, fading out so that only his quill was showing. Leu sighed again and went to bed, uncertain this was a simple case of 'ghost angst' or if something else was going on. Well, at least he knew with Halloween approaching there could be little doubt that Zack would be in the castle, he thought, although part of him couldn't help but wonder if it was something he had done as he tried to get comfortable and pulled the covers over his head.
On the other side of the castle, Helena was very much wishing she could do the same thing. After doing her rounds in the corridors, she went over a list in her hand, belatedly adding the name of the ugly gargoyle, which had been sitting in the common room since just after the opening ceremonies.
"A bit late to be out, isn't it?" Don commented, and Helena looked over to see him sitting on one of the couches.
"Oh, the Headmaster asked all the prefects to help keep an eye out for gargoyles. Apparently he reset them for security reasons, and since the castle and their duties have changed over hundreds of years, they're not exactly sure where all of them are. They have found most of them, though," she added.
"Well, I don't see why any of you have to help look for them. He should have the staff do that sort of thing, that's what they get paid for, after all. Besides, we have enough to do between schoolwork and the competitions and the ball coming up… you are going with me, aren't you?" Don said, taking Helena by surprise.
"Me? But I've got my ghost interview to do, and… I promised to help with the Owl's booth as well…"
"Oh, what do they need a booth for? The only goal you have this year is to help with the Olympics!" Don scowled.
"That's true, but there will be other projects, you know…"
"Who cares? We graduate this year! Besides, it's starting to sound like you're just trying to make excuses. You haven't been the same since we got back to school this year," Don complained.
"I'm sorry, but I really have been busy," Helena protested.
"Fine, then you can make it up to me by taking a walk down the dead end passage with me," Don decided. Helena blinked.
"I can't go down there with you. I'm Head Girl, after all! I have a reputation to keep…"
"What reputation? You're a Weasley, aren't you?" Don said, Helena turning red in response.
"I'm still a Slytherin Prefect, so I'm not about to do anything that'd shame the house. If you want that sort of thing, you'll have to find some other girl who doesn't have as much to lose," Helena said.
"Personally I think it's you who has something to lose," Don said quietly. "After all, spell research does need funding, and my father is known to support that sort of thing. I'm sure he'd be willing to be very, very generous to any girl I'm interested in."
"That's lovely for whomever that might be, then. I'm going to succeed on my own merits, not anyone else's. And if you had been paying any real attention, you'd have known that about me a long time ago. I'd rather keep things between us friendly, Don, but I hope you've realized by now that we just aren't in the same book, let alone on the same page about anything. I need to get some sleep," Helena said, walking towards the dorms.
"I suppose you think my brother's on your page, then?" Don challenged her angrily. Helena gazed at him thoughtfully.
"To be honest, I really don't think I'm on his, not that I'm not fine with that. I do want to make my way in the world first before I get tied down. If you're smart, you'd feel the same way," Helena advised. Quietly she slipped into her room and closed the door softly so not to disturb her sleeping roommates. She let out a long sigh.
"Not exactly stable, that one, is he?" said a quiet voice behind her. Helena looked around in surprise, and then relaxed when she saw that Dusthorn had snuck into the painting hanging there.
"You can say that again," Helena whispered. "What are you doing awake?"
"The Headmaster woke me to reset the gargoyles," Caprica said with an amused twinkle that made Helena wonder if there was more to it than what she was saying.
"If you ask me, it might have been better off if you hadn't, considering we still can't find all of the gargoyles since they've been reset," Helena complained.
"Probably because everyone is looking in the wrong places," Caprica suggested.
"I rather think that goes without saying," Helena said.
"What I mean is that places needing protected aren't usually put down a main corridor where students and staff are going to be wandering every day. Of course you're not going to find them in plain sight. There is nothing there that actually needs guarding, is there?" Caprica pointed out.
"True," Helena answered thoughtfully. "But if there are hidden rooms and such in the castle, I'm sure the Headmaster already knows about them, right? I mean, the Chamber of Secrets was discovered ages ago, and the Headmaster has that map that shows all the other rooms. Surely everything the castle has been protecting has been uncovered by now," Helena said. Caprica laughed at that.
"Nothing could be farther from the truth, Helena. Were a Headmaster to go out of his way to try and uncover all the mysteries of this castle, he wouldn't have time to do anything else… and I assure you that this particular Headmaster would rather that all those unfound mysteries of the castle stay unfound just so he doesn't have to deal with them," the portrait grinned mischievously. "In fact, he would probably fight tooth and wand to make certain that none of those mysteries invade his life right now, even suspecting as he might that what is happening with the gargoyles is tied into one or two of them."
"I doubt he's fighting it. After all, he is getting us to look for the gargoyles, and if we learn where they are, it may give a clue as to what made them move about in the first place," Helena decided.
"Quite true. Assuming he ever finds them all, of course," Caprica added. "I have some volunteers of my own looking for them as well, by the way…"
"Don't you know where they are? Considering you're the one who moved them," Helena pressed.
"No, I'm afraid I don't. I may have a security charm woven into me to send them back, but I'm still only a painting and only have a limited knowledge of things. I wasn't painted until after they were placed, after all," Caprica reminded her. Helena looked thoughtful.
"All right, so who do you have looking for them, then, so we can collaborate?" Helena asked. Caprica looked amused at that.
"Try the library during Halloween," she suggested with a wink, stepping out of the frame and leaving Helena with a suspicious frown on her face.
Myrtle was always quite excited about the Spectral Ball, but she was especially excited when Helena sought her out early in the evening to interview her for her history assignment.
"I don't mean to take your guest away, Dolan. It'll only take a few minutes, Miss Morning," Helena said apologetically.
"Why, you know my last name! I didn't think anyone knew that!" Myrtle said in surprise.
"I knew it," Noah protested, Myrtle smiling adoringly at him.
"Actually, I went out and looked on the memorial fountain," Helena admitted. "I understand you died from an ancient basilisk attack?"
"Yes, from the one that used to live under this very castle, and in the Chamber of Secrets," Myrtle said, her voice sounding distant and strange. Noah gazed at her expression with a frown. "I spent a lot of time in that bathroom. They were always teasing me, you know, about my glasses. I wanted to be anywhere else but in the school, and since I couldn't leave, the bathroom was the next best thing," she said.
"I like the way you look, Myrtle," Noah put in quickly. "I think they were just jealous, is all, because you're pretty."
"Oh, you're just saying that because you don't want me to get upset," Myrtle said with a scowl.
"No, he might have a point, Myrtle. Some people do put others down like that just to try to make themselves look better, despite the fact in actuality it is really doing the opposite," Helena said. "I bet they felt pretty bad when they found out you died, though."
"Yes, but only because they felt bad for themselves, not because of me," Myrtle said then started to sob, wandering towards the exit. Noah groaned softly.
"I'm sorry, Noah! I didn't mean to upset her…" Helena said sincerely.
"Oh, it's all right. Practically every ghost in the castle is awake right now, so I should be able to rally some supporters to help get her out of there before it turns into a crisis," Noah said. They hurried over to where Sir Nicolas and the Fat Friar were talking while their students for the evening were getting ice cream at the St. Mungo's booth.
"In distress again? She is such a sensitive girl!" Sir Nick said with exasperation. "I suppose I'll have to rise to the occasion before she loses her head."
"My, we wouldn't want that to happen," the Friar said with a laugh. "Should I come with you?"
"No, please see to our guests, I'll be back when I can," Nick said, floating through the wall.
"Now, don't despair, Noah, I'm sure it'll be all right," the Friar said comfortingly. "Myrtle was so excited to hear about the after-party party that I doubt she'll miss it."
"After-party party?" Helena asked.
"It's a ghost gathering that Professor Dusthorn is holding after the living have gone off to bed. It's been a while since we've had such a to do. Nearly every ghost in the castle will be there, won't they, Noah?" the Friar prompted.
"Nearly. I don't think I'm allowed to go, actually," Noah said. The Friar furrowed his brows.
"Not allowed?" he asked in confusion.
"I'm afraid Mr. Dolan is right, Arvis," Icarus Ravenclaw agreed, fading into view. "He's a full time student now, so he has to follow curfew rules."
"Oh, dear, I suppose you're right," the Friar said thoughtfully. "But don't worry! I'll save you some cake! Perhaps even a piece with a nice moldy rose on it."
"Thanks, but I'm more concerned about Myrtle right now. I don't suppose you've seen Llewellyn?" Noah asked.
"Yes, he's over there on the dais trying to get an interview with the Fifth Floor Phantom before the music starts up," Icarus said, pointing to the back of the Great Hall.
"Mind if I go with you? I do feel partially to blame for what happened," Helena admitted.
"You're not, but thanks for coming with me anyhow," Noah said, and the two of them stepped up to where Leu stood next to an organ that seemed to be gently playing itself.
"So you were stabbed in the back? Literally?" Leu asked with interest. "And nobody ever found out who did it?"
"I don't even know why they did it," said a low baritone voice. "Perhaps it was a jealous suitor of one of my female admirers, or perhaps it was simply criticism for my playing. When the theatre burnt down, I had nowhere else to go. Headmaster Dippet took pity on me as a former schoolmate and had me exhumed and moved here. I do not know why I am condemned to such a fate… perhaps the shock of the violence of it all was what kept me from ascending. So long as I have an organ to play, I do not care. I can show defiance for still playing in spite of them!"
"Bravo, that's the spirit. But does it always have to be tunes that are so… creepy?" Leu asked.
"What impertinence!" the deep voice said, hitting a sour note. "If you're going to take that sort of attitude, this interview is over. Why don't you run along and find someone else to insult?" Leu took a couple of healthy steps backward just as Noah and Helena walked up to him.
"Looks like you're having about the same luck as I had with my interview," Helena said.
"I just want him to pick music that isn't quite so intimidating, that's all," Leu said defensively. "Did you get yours done as well, Noah?"
"No, I haven't found Janus yet, but never mind that. Want to help us get Myrtle back out of the bathroom?" Noah asked.
"Sorry, I really can't right now. I promised Amy I'd meet her at the library right after I got done with my ghost interview…."
"You're not even staying for the ball?" Noah frowned.
"I'm sure I mentioned to you before that I planned to hang with Amy tonight," Leu said, Noah looking all the more irritated. "I am sorry, but I promised. Why is Myrtle hiding in the bathroom again?"
"She didn't like her interview," Helena admitted.
"Oh, I suppose it was like how the phantom reacted then. Don't worry, Noah, I'm sure she'll be fine in a day or two, but I really need to get going if I'm going to have any time in the library before Librarian Boulderdash shoos us out," Leu said. "See you in the rooms."
"Fine," Noah said, watching him go. "I really don't know what's gotten into him this year. He's just not the same as last year."
"Really? He seems the same to me, even though he does smile every now and then. Last year he didn't smile at all," Helena commented. "I do admit to being curious as to what he's up to in the library. I think I'll go see what I can find out once I know that Myrtle has calmed down. Come on, let's go ourselves."
"Fine, but if she's flooded the halls again, you're going to have to talk to her for me," Noah said.
Helena was more than a little relieved to find that several ghosts and Doctor Zack Black was already at the bathroom door, so it wasn't hard to make excuses of not lingering in the halls so that she could hurry to the library. Boulderdash looked up at her when she came in but paid her little mind after that, gesturing over to the Owl door unconcernedly before going back to his book.
Curiously, Helena went in to find Michael, Natalie, Hope, Charles, Leu and Amy sitting at the table, comparing notes.
"Did anyone find that large snake gargoyle? He's not crossed off on my list," Natalie said.
"Yes, I found him guarding the passage to the cistern, just like Maurice thought he might be," Michael said. "What about the one out in the lake? Did it happen to go back there?"
"No, I checked that," Leu said. "In fact, the Headmaster had me check right after it happened. Apparently there used to be an old passage that led straight from the Slytherin rooms to the farm across the tracks, but it was crudely made and collapsed a very long time ago. So he thought that maybe where the gargoyle was under the lake would have been where he was stationed before the tunnel collapsed… but he wasn't there."
"The majority of passages leading out of Slytherin were sealed after Voldemort left the castle. Most are simply dead ends now," Helena explained. "And I just got done checking all of those, and the only statue I ran into was the one of Slytherin, and he never moved from where he was guarding… oh, and Atrocious is in our house rooms… that's the camera breaking one."
"Great, thanks, Helena. We'll check that one off as well," Michael said, and did so. "All right, the only ones I don't have marked off now is the one from the lake, the statue of Gryffindor, and the statue of Ravenclaw."
"The Gryffindor one is standing on the landing of our tower near the Fat Lady," Natalie chimed in. "Maybe the Ravenclaw one is near their rooms as well?"
"I haven't seen it," Leu said, shaking his head.
"Well, I haven't seen it, but I would like to say that her statue wasn't on the prefects lists of ones we needed to find," Helena said. "So the Headmaster already knows where that one is."
"I wonder if they put it in front of the new tunnel?" Amy ventured.
"What new tunnel?" Leu asked.
"The one they're digging near the Potions Lab, of course," Amy said. "Weren't you ever curious what that snake statue was guarding back there? The moment I heard that the Headmaster reset the gargoyles, I went to take a peek since I knew nothing would be guarding it. I ran into Sirius Black while I was exploring it. Apparently, it's going to be a new passage to Hogsmeade."
"We could definitely use a new passage over there," Hope agreed.
"I doubt you'll be using it much, even if they do get it finished this year," Amy warned. "From what I gathered from Mr. Black, that passage is going to lead to the alchemist's basement."
"Really? That'll be nice for getting supplies back and forth from the lab, won't it?" Leu commented, while Hope, Charles and Natalie were less impressed. Just then, the door opened and Boulderdash peered in.
"Ten minutes left, so you'd better finish up your rebellious plans for the evening," Boulderdash warned and then closed the door again.
"What did he mean by that?" Leu asked.
"Librarian Boulderdash told us a long time ago that he didn't care what we plotted together so long as we stayed out of the library," Helena chuckled. "He says sometimes revolutions have to happen to make things change, so it's his way of showing support when he knows we're up to something."
"All I want is to know that the school is going to stay safe during the games. I have enough problems without rogue gargoyles complicating things," Michael said.
"Come on, we should be getting back," Helena said, waiting for the others to pick up their things. Just outside the door, Leu went with the Gryffindors towards the front stairs, while Helena joined Michael towards the back ones, waiting a few moments before finally turning to him. "It's Don, isn't it?"
"What?" Michael frowned.
"You said you had enough problems without the gargoyles…"
"Oh, yeah. He has gotten a bit vicious during practices for certain… always trying to show me up. Yesterday he took a dive hoping to get me in trouble. Commander Bellamy would have none of that, but Don did complain to my father. I have a feeling I'll hear about it this weekend," Michael snorted. "I'll be so glad when this year is over and I won't have to deal with my family anymore. No matter how hard Auror training will be, I'm certain it will pale in comparison to what I've been having to duck and dodge here and at home over the past few years."
"Do you regret it? Being taken out of Slytherin, I mean," Helena asked quietly. Michael sighed.
"No, I don't regret it, but that doesn't mean it hasn't been hard," Michael said.
"I understand," Helena said with a nod. "Although it hasn't been a picnic with us still being stuck with Don in the house, either."
"I bet not," Michael admitted with a chuckle, pausing at the corridor leading to the Hufflepuff rooms. "Good night."
"Good night," Helena said, hurrying on to Slytherin. A moment later, one of the secret doors leading into the passage opened up.
"Well, at least they didn't get snoggy or anything," Beth said. Beside her, her other brother looked ready to kill.
"I thought you said you had her wrapped around your finger, Coventry? It didn't sound that way considering that parting shot of hers," Don's friend Lorne Yearling said.
"She is, she was probably just playing him," Don said defensively.
"You should make sure she's not playing both of you," Lorne said.
"That won't happen, I'm not that stupid," Don snorted.
"Maybe not, but if I were you, I'd make a move before your brother does, or that hexathlon won't be the only contest you need to worry about," Lorne advised.
"I'm not worried about either, actually. I've won already, they just don't know it yet," Don said confidently.
