.

-O-

CHAPTER 12

Larry ran, chasing the floating apple that bobbed and swerved around other people's legs inside the enclosure. A bite appeared on its red surface, and Larry cursed under his breath. In one last-ditch effort to capture it, he leapt forward, trying to tackle it to the ground. He hit the grass with a hard oomph, but the apple slipped away as a tongue appeared above it in a mocking gesture. Larry cursed again, slamming his fist on the ground.

His other classmates were running about around like headless flies, trying to lure things they could not see close enough to put a collar on them. Professor Hagrid calmly observed from the other side of the fence, shouting encouragements here and there. Not that it helped. Larry threw a quick look at the far end of the enclosure, where Curly was sitting comfortably under a tree, whittling. A collar floated beside him as a small pile of apples disappeared bite by bite.

Suddenly, there was a yelp behind Larry, and someone tripped in his body, joining him on the grass. Larry picked himself up on his elbows to get a better look at the person, and sure enough, it was Moe.

The Gryffindor spat some grass that had somehow gotten in his mouth and made a face. His eyes wandered over to Curly. "You know, he's my best friend and all," Moe said, getting into a sitting position. "But sometimes I wanna strangle him."

Larry grunted, sitting up as well. "I know that feeling," he said, patting Moe's shoulder. Then he stood and brushed the grass and dirt from his robes. "I think I need a break." Moe grunted in agreement, and the two made their way back to Curly's tree, nearly collapsing at its base.

"How did it go?" Curly said, barely looking up from his work. "Need more apples?"

Larry scoffed. "How about some actual help?"

"I did help," Curly said, snickering. "I told you how to catch them. Did you do what I said?"

"'Do something unpredictable' is not exactly specific instructions," Moe growled.

Curly laughed. "Well, if I gave you specific instructions, that wouldn't exactly be unpredictable, would it? Demiguises have precognitive sight; they'll be able to see anything I tell you to do before you even do it."

With a sigh of exhaustion, Larry leaned back against the tree trunk and closed his eyes. "I give up. That Demiguise can starve for all I care."

Moe made a huff of agreement from the other side. "Those monkey things are fast."

Curly chuckled. "They can come eat from Pancake's pile." He put his pocket knife away to pet the invisible creature next to him, which made a sound akin to a sigh.

"You named it?" Larry said, opening one eye to throw his friend a look.

"You named it Pancake?" Moe added, snorting.

Curly laughed, scratching Pancake somewhere around the ears.

"Alright, that'd be enough fer today," Hagrid shouted over the bumbling students. "Looks like most of you didn' manage ter catch yer Demiguise; we'll continue this exercise next time!"

The class slowly trickled out of the enclosure, grumbling and rubbing sore spots on their bodies. Larry, Moe and Curly stood up as well, following the others to the door, which looked very out of place in the middle of a field with no wall to support it. It was so surreal to leave a warm, sunny meadow and suddenly be back in the cold, winery castle. Luckily, the Great Hall was only a minute away.

Moe shivered, wrapping his Gryffindor scarf around his neck. "I'm just g-glad Professor Hagrid de-de-decided to have us hunt them in the classroom."

Curly laughed. "Hunting Demiguises in the snow is too easy!"

His two friends glared at him, sending him into even bigger peals of laughter.

As they entered the Great Hall, the boys stopped for a moment at the entrance to find Rose. Soon, Moe tugged Larry's sleeve and pointed to the Ravenclaw table, where Rose was eating lunch, a book propped up on the sugar bowl. They made their way over and sat down.

"How was Care for Magical Creatures?" she asked conversationally, putting the book away.

"A nightmare," Moe huffed, making Curly laugh again.

"Oh?" Rose looked to Larry. "Did you study something dangerous?"

"Only dangerous to my pride," Larry replied.

"Don't listen to them," Curly said, in-between chuckles. "We were catching Demiguises, and, well… Larry and Moe aren't exactly beast tamers."

Larry felt Moe kick Curly under the table.

Rose smiled at them encouragingly. "I'm sure they'll get there. That's what school is for — to learn. No one is born a master of anything."

Moe huffed again. "Tell that to Mr I-spent-the-whole-period-whittling over there. He caught his in f-five m-m-minutes."

Curly shrugged, grinning. "Hey, I can't help it if I'm awesome. But that reminds me..." He reached into his school bag and held up a wooden swan. "I made this for you."

Rose stared at the carving, as if afraid it would peck her. Hesitantly, she took it and gave him a courteous smile. "Thank you," she said stiffly.

Curly's face fell. "You don't like it."

The mask of contained politeness dropped. "No! I mean, yes!" Rose protested immediately. "I mean...It is a very well-made gift. I appreciate the thought."

"Sorry," Curly said, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "I just thought… Swans are the symbols of your House, and they're pretty, so..."

"No, Curly, I..." She trailed off desperately, eyes wandering down to her lap, and sighed. "Swans are pretty. I'm just not fond of them. They… unnerve me."

The boys stared at her in silence, surprised by this revelation. Then Larry elbowed Curly in the ribs. "Well? Are you a wizard or what? Transfigure it into something else."

Curly's face lit up again. "Yeah! I can totally do that! What would you like, Rose?"

Rose's eyes travelled down to the carving in her hands. After a moment of consideration, the faintest of smiles bloomed on her face. "A sun," she said.

The three boys exchanged a befuddled glance.

"A s-sun?" Moe echoed.

"Well, yes," Rose said, her smile growing. "If it's a gift from Curly, it should remind me of him, right? So it needs to be something warm and bright." For a second, Curly just stared at her. Rose's smile faded. "Is a sun not okay?"

"No, no, no!" he said quickly, waving his hands in front of him. "A sun is very much okay! I can do that."

Larry and Moe exchanged a look.

Curly took the carving back, tapping it with his wand and muttering a spell under his breath. The wood twisted in his palm, pooling into a smooth, oval shape, out of which sprouted several curly sun rays. When he was done, Curly grinned proudly and, as a final touch, he tapped it again and said, "Colovaria." The wooden sun turned yellow.

When he held it up to Rose, she smiled radiantly and took it without hesitation. "Oh, Curly, I love it! Thank you!"

Curly beamed too. "Glad you like it."

Larry and Moe exchanged another look, but neither said anything. The rest of lunch went on as normal. Curly told stupid jokes and creature-related adventure anecdotes, and Rose laughed. Larry wondered why he hadn't noticed how much she laughs around Curly. Or how hard he tries not to swear in front of her. Moe threw in the odd comment, until something sparked an idea in his head and he pulled out a piece of parchment, starting to sketch some invention idea. Larry only occasionally joined in the conversation, either to add some detail to the story or to say something about how Curly would be the death of him.

After lunch, Rose and Curly left together for their Ancient Runes class, leaving Moe and Larry to stare after them. Curly was still going on about something, waving his hands around as he walked, and almost ended up bumping into a curly-haired Gryffindor girl at the exit. Rose chuckled, and he flashed her a sheepish grin.

"Wonder how long it will take," Moe muttered from Larry's side.

Larry smirked. "Should we start bidding on who says it first?"

A figure appeared behind them, looming tall above the boys, and its bright blue hair immediately entered Larry's peripheral vision.

"On who says what first?" Teddy asked.

"Nothing," Larry said, wiping the smile from his face. "It's not important."

Teddy raised an eyebrow, but didn't press. "Okay… I came to tell you I'm calling an emergency prefects meeting today. Six PM, Prefects' Lounge."

Moe and Larry looked at each other. "Em-m-mergency m-m-meeting?" the Gryffindor stuttered.

Teddy nodded grimly. "It's to discuss last week's…" The corner of his mouth twitched. "Talking Tapestry incident."

Larry's cheeks burned with embarrassment, made even stronger by Moe's muffled snicker. "Oh."

Teddy patted his shoulder lightly before running off to intercept a pair of Hufflepuffs.

-O-

"Knight to M5."

The little red knight pranced across the chessboard and whinnied, breaking off the head of Larry's rook with its hooves.

"Well played, Mademoiselle Fa," he said, genuinely impressed.

Fa Liling, the 'Dragon of Gryffindor', was a spunky Asian girl with bright, fire-red hair and an up-beat can-do attitude that had earned her the title of Head Girl alongside Teddy Lupin at the beginning of the year. Currently, Liling sat across Larry in the Prefects' Lounge, beaming at him . "And that, I believe, is checkmate," she announced as the rest of her red figures surrounded Larry's white king. The door behind them opened as a few more prefects entered the room, taking a seat.

"True enough." He offered her a handshake, which she took without reservations.

"That makes it fourteen to three," the Head Girl said, grinning. "This year alone."

Larry shrugged. "I don't really keep score. Mostly, I participate for the pleasure of your company."

"Aw, aren't you sweet," Liling said, putting away the chess set. "See, Larry, this is why we're friends. I hate losing, and you don't mind it."

Larry chuckled. This much was true, at least where chess was concerned. At that moment, a palm gripped his shoulder and he looked up to see Teddy Lupin standing behind him again.

"Another win, Ling?" Teddy said.

"Obviously," Liling replied with a grin. "Are we missing anyone?"

The three of them threw a quick look around the room, silently taking headcount.

"Just Rose," Teddy said.

Larry frowned. It had been a while now since they'd heard from the Cloaks, but he still felt on edge every time someone was late.

And, judging by his tone, Teddy felt the same. "Rose is never late for a meeting," he muttered under his breath, sharing a worried glance with Larry. That was then Victoire Weasley, one of the Gryffindor prefects, approached and kissed the Head Boy on the cheek.

"So, when is this super important meeting going to start?" she asked, wrapping her arms around Teddy's waist. "You've kept me in suspense long enough!"

"We're just missing one of the Ravenclaws," Liling said, standing up. "I'll go look for her. Think you can hold the fort, Ted?"

"I'll come too," Larry added hastily. "I know her schedule."

The two headed for the door, but they had barely made two steps outside when they spotted Rose at the end of the corridor, talking with a tall, black-haired girl. Her face was pale as a sheet, and though her expression was a carefully controlled mask of indifference, her blue eyes betrayed a spark of fear. Raven, Larry thought with a scowl and marched down the hall, already reaching inside his robes for the wand. But, as he drew nearer, he realised that the girl Rose was talking with was not Raven, but a slim Slytherin with large hoop earrings and tasteful makeup accentuating her sharp cheekbones and long eyelashes. For a moment, he was too surprised to speak.

Liling, however, did not have that issue. "Is there a problem here?"

The Slytherin turned to face her. Recognition ran across her face before she rolled her eyes and said, "Jesus, Fa, do you have to rain fire and brimstone on everyone you come across?"

Liling narrowed her eyes. "Only on snakes I come across. Is there a reason you're cornering my prefect?"

"Your prefect?" the girl said mockingly. "Are you building your own little army now?"

"If I do, DeVille, you're the first person we're gunning down," Liling bit back. Then she turned to Rose, her tone noticeably softened. "Are you okay, Rose?"

Rose gave them a jerky nod.

The Slytherin rolled her eyes again. "We were just talking. Since when is that a crime?"

"Since now," Liling growled. "Beat it, before I decide to show you the way."

The girl picked at some lint on her grey-and-green cardigan. "Wow. And here I thought the Head Girl was supposed to look out for all students. Way to flaunt your Gryffindor bias."

"I am looking out for the students, Husniya," Liling said proudly, and Larry suddenly remembered that he had heard the name before. "It doesn't take a Third Eye to see you were threatening Rose, and I swear to Merlin, if you hurt another student I will find a way to get you expelled."

"How bold," Husniya said in a bored drawl. "You have no evidence I've ever lifted my wand against anyone. But please, talk to me some more about your baseless suspicions and how that will get me expelled. I'm sure the Board of Governors will be thrilled to hear your grand tale of prejudice." The Slytherin started down the corridor as Liling glared at her. "Well, see you around, Rose," she said over her shoulder. "Keep in mind what I said."

"Rose?" Larry said softly, taking a step closer to his friend. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes," she said, but her hand was clutching the strap of her school bag so hard her knuckles had turned white.

"Did she do anything to you?" Liling said, still scowling after Husniya.

"Nothing," Rose replied stiffly. "We were just talking, like she said."

Liling let out an angry huff. "Husniya DeVille isn't someone you want to be talking with."

"That thing you said," Larry cut in, "about her hurting students. Was that true?"

Liling crossed her arms, and her scowl deepened. "There was an incident last year. I'm not supposed to talk about it, and we could never definitively prove that she had a hand in it, but I know that she did." Rose's hand slipped deep inside her robes pocket. Liling exhaled sharply, and when she spoke again, her tone was considerably softer. "Nevermind that now. Just be careful with her, okay? Let's get going; Teddy and the others are waiting for us."

Rose nodded obediently, and she and Larry followed the Head Girl back to the Prefects Lounge. At the door, which he held open for Liling, Larry noticed Rose had lagged behind. He turned, seeing her with a fist to her mouth again, and a light bulb went on in his brain. She was drinking something.

Before he could react, Rose hid her fist somewhere in her robes and rushed past him.

"Great, we're all here," Teddy said from inside, and Larry begrudgingly had to hold in his piece. He drew the door closed and took a seat between Rose and Victoire.

Teddy, who was standing at the foot of the long table, took stock of everyone in turn, gaze lingering on each face. "As you might have noticed, weird things have been happening in Hogwarts. Mysterious green lights wandering the halls. A person in a blue cloak, roaming the castle and grounds after hours. Some of you have only caught glimpses. Some have had confrontations with this individual. What I'm about to say here does not leave this room. Am I clear?"

A few people nodded. Teddy took in a breath to steady himself. His eyes crossed with Victoire's, who gave him an encouraging smile.

"These people you have encountered... are intruders."

Tamsin Little, one of the Hufflepuff prefects, gasped from across the table. Quiet murmurs spread in the air, and Teddy let them go on for a minute before raising his voice again.

"As of now, we still don't know what method they've used to sneak into our school. What we do know is that they tend to avoid crowds and that they are dangerous. I've gotten reports of both men and women in these blue cloaks, so be on your guard. From now on, no one patrols alone. If your respective partner is sick or cannot make the rounds, you both stay in your common room. If one of you needs to duck into the loo, the other one waits. If you have classes across the castle, you meet at the common room and go together from there."

One of the older Ravenclaw prefects raised his hand. "What if we can't stand our partner?"

Victoire threw him a sharp glare.

Teddy rolled his eyes. "Then you get counseling," he said. "I need you all go get this into your heads — these people can hurt you."

The Ravenclaw, Killian Jones, let his hand fall, but the scowl on his face deepened.

Aileen Campbell, one of fifth year Gryffindors, rolled her eyes and blew a few dark curls away from her face. "Och gie ower yerself, Killian!" she snapped, her Scottish accent so incredibly thick Larry had serious trouble making out the meaning. "Sae she broke up wi' ye, yoo're nae th' first bloke in th' warld tae gie dumped. Graw a pair!"

The two seventh year Ravenclaws glared at each other. Larry silently thanked Merlin that he and Rose were not like this.

Liling got to her feet and stood with Teddy — fiery red next to turquoise blue. "There are more important things going on right now than relationship drama! Teddy was pushed out of a tower by one of those maniacs! It's imperative that no one goes anywhere alone. And if you do see those cloaked guys — run."

"Run?" Victoire exclaimed incredulously, getting to her feet as well. "Excuse me, but those psychopaths almost killed my boyfriend!"

"Vic—" Teddy tried to intervene.

"If I see them in the hallways, they're getting a Bat Bogey Hex to the face!" Victoire finished fiercely, flipping the heavy curtain of blonde hair behind her shoulder.

"That's the problem," Teddy said. "Spells don't seem to work on them."

Everyone in the room stared at him, wide-eyed.

"Wh-What do you mean?" Tamsin ventured quietly.

Rose stood up as well. "They're wearing some sort of protection," she said calmly. Larry was a little surprised at the change in her attitude — just a few minutes ago she seemed shaken and afraid, and now all of a sudden she was standing tall, confident and in control. He'd never seen her shift gears so quickly before. "I've had a few grapples with these people myself, and I can tell you for a fact that they are untouchable by magic means. I suspect some sort of shield, although there is no solid evidence either way. I have seen one wield a Muggle weapon. Perhaps we should do the same."

Larry's jaw hit the floor.

Voices erupted around the table, some endorsing the proposal, some calling her crazy.

"Aye! We neit tae be able tae defend ourselves," Aileen shouted.

"Are you out of your minds? Carrying Muggle weapons in school?!" Leo, a Hufflepuff prefect, exclaimed.

One of the Slytherin guys joined in too. "As if this place wasn't dangerous enough; we don't need to bring in actual weapons in here!"

Teddy slammed his hand onto the table. "ENOUGH!" Everyone quieted and sat back down. Teddy looked at Rose. "Rose, have you lost it? We aren't bringing in Muggle weapons. The risk is too high; we'll only end up hurting each other. If you see the cloaked people, just run and report it to the nearest teacher. Our primary concern is the wellbeing of the students."

"An' whit if those students are bein' attacked?" Aileen said. "Th' best defence is a guid offence."

"The best defence in this case is to run away," Killian, the seventh year Ravenclaw, said. "And you seem to have missed the bit where Rose said they have weapons."

"Ah missed naethin'," Aileen snapped.

The rabble rose up again, drowning out the words as everyone shouted over each other. Suddenly there was a bright flash of light, followed by an absolute silence. The prefects all reached for their throats, and when Larry did the same, he realised that he was no longer able to produce a single sound.

Victoire alone stood again, wand still clutched in her hand. When she spoke, her voice echoed in the quiet room. "We are students, not an organized militia. And in the end, the decision is not up to us — it's up to Teddy, Ling, the teachers, and ultimately, McGonagall. Do any of you see her approving the carrying of Muggle weapons inside this school?" She crossed her arms and paused to let that sink in. "Now, if there are no more outbursts, my boyfriend was trying to speak."

She sat down, and Larry felt the tightening in his throat disappear. No one said a thing until Teddy cleared his throat.

"Ahem. Thanks for that, Vic. Since we all agree that there will be no Muggle dueling in the halls, I'll repeat again. If you see this person — run. If you see them attacking a student — try to get that student to safety, then run. Never patrol on your own. And, most importantly, keep this on the down low. We don't need panic spreading throughout the school."

Rose frowned. "We aren't telling people?"

"Rose, I already went through this once," Teddy said, a little irritated. "It's important that we keep it under wraps for now. Whoever the cloaked people are, they seem to be trying to avoid conflict, so as long as we stay out of their way—"

"They'll get what they want," Rose snapped. "They're after something, and it's rather obvious it's a magical object hidden in the school, judging by their prior illegal activities. Don't you care that they'll get it? What if it's something dangerous?"

Teddy pinched the bridge of his nose. "Rose. What I care about is the safety of the students. It's not our place to stop actual criminals. I don't want anyone here to get hurt playing the hero."

"But—"

"The decision has been made," Liling added firmly. "This meeting was for information purposes only. Whoever these cloaked people are, they aren't looking for a fight. Don't give them one."

Rose scowled but didn't say anything more.

"What about Aurors?" Larry said. "Isn't the Ministry doing anything about this?"

Teddy nodded. "They are. There will be increased security in Hogsmeade and Harry Potter will arrange for a rotating shift of Aurors in the school after dark in the next few days. I'm not in on all the specifics yet. Like Ling said, this is purely an instructional meeting. It's not our job to deal with this threat."

"Not to mention," Victoire cut in, "that us thrumpeting about this might get in the way of the Aurors' investigation. They still need to find out who these people are, how they're getting in and what they want."

Teddy threw her a grateful smile. "That too."

After the meeting was over, the shellshocked prefects headed for the Great Hall. Larry and Rose walked in silence with the group for a little while, before he seized his chance and pulled her aside in one of the alcoves along the wall.

"Okay, what is going on with you?" he said in a half-whisper. "Calling for Muggle weapons to be brought in? Conspiring with that Husniya girl in the hallways?"

"We weren't… conspiring," Rose replied, looking away.

"Then what was that?" Larry insisted.

"I..." Rose shifted uncomfortably, but he blocked the exit with his arm, trapping her. She wasn't going anywhere until he got answers.

Larry felt it was time for all the cards to be on the table. "Rose… I know you're taking something. What is it?" Her eyes met his for all of a second, widening with surprise, before she averted them to the floor again. When she didn't reply, Larry went on. "Are you going to tell me it's a coincidence that I see you drinking a mysterious liquid, and all but seconds later you do something completely reckless and out of character? How many times do I have to tell you this, Rose — if something is wrong, I want to help you." His voice softened. "You're not alone anymore."

She still refused to look at him. "Husniya isn't happy about the rumours that are spreading," she said, so quietly he almost missed it. "About the… the pumpkin incident."

Larry waited for her to elaborate, but she didn't. "And what does she expect you to do? You can't stop people from talking, and the whole class saw it happen."

"She wants—"

Footsteps echoed close by, interrupting them.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, of course. Go with the others, Vic, I'll be down in a minute. Just have to check in with McGonagall."

Larry and Rose peeked around the corner, where Teddy was saying goodbye to Victoire. The blonde witch stood up on her toes to kiss his cheek again, then disappeared from view. Teddy remained rooted where he was, waving at her. Then the smile slipped from his face and he reached inside his robes, retrieving a worn piece of parchment. After scanning it quickly, he put it away, looked from right to left to make sure he was alone, and took out his wand. Larry and Rose exchanged a glance. Teddy was definitely up to something.

"Where do you think he's going?" Rose whispered.

"With his wand drawn?" Larry said. "I think I have a pretty good idea."

The two left the alcove and silently followed the Head Boy, hiding around corners and keeping a respectable distance. Teddy walked briskly down the corridor, descended a staircase to the fourth floor, and then continued along until he reached the foot of a spiral staircase. With one last look at the parchment in his hand, he dove in, a determined look on his face.

"What is he looking for in the West Tower?" Rose whispered as she and Larry stood in front of the staircase, listening to Teddy's footsteps echo above.

"I'm not sure," Larry said thoughtfully. "But I think… he's looking for traces of the Cloaks."

"After explicitly telling us not to go looking for a fight?" Rose gasped incredulously and marched up the stairs. Larry followed, trying to keep up.

At the top, they found Teddy staring at a blank wall, the parchment clutched tightly in his hand. Hearing their footsteps, he whirled around, wand pointed at their chests.

"Larry!" Teddy exclaimed in surprise, lowering the wand. "Rose. What are you two—"

"Better question is," Rose interrupted, hands at her hips, "what are you doing here? You told us not to play the hero."

Teddy grinned, twirling his wand playfully. "Yeah. You shouldn't play heroes. I didn't say anything about me."

Rose frowned at him, crossing her arms. "You do know that that badge on your chest does not grant you immortality, right?"

For the first time ever, Larry considered that he might be a bad influence on one of his friends. It usually went the other way around. He stepped forward before things could escalate. "Head Boy or not, you could use the back up. What exactly are you looking for up here?"

Teddy's grin made way to a more concerned expression. "Listen, you two, I'm serious. I don't want anyone to get hurt."

Rose made a show of looking around the room. "The air is a little dusty, but I think we'll survive," she said flatly.

"There's nothing here, Teddy," Larry said to the Head Boy.

Teddy sighed, scratching the back of his undercut. "Fine, fine. You can help. I checked my, ah… my map after the meeting. There was a man up here, someone I didn't recognise. He was standing right here and then..." He made a wide, sweeping gesture with his arm. "He was gone."

Larry frowned. "He just disappeared? Are you sure? The Marauders Map is supposed to be 100% accurate, right?"

Teddy stared at him for a second, thunderstruck. "How do you know about the—" Then he facepalmed. "Oh, of course. Curly?"

Larry chuckled. "You really should think more before showing important things to a hyperactive twelve-year-old if you want them to stay a secret."

Teddy sighed again, but the corner of his mouth curved up into a smile. "Yeah, that one's on me. But the map is never wrong. The only way that man could have disappeared in an instant is if he Apparated, which can't happen on school grounds… Or if he went somewhere that isn't on the map itself." He turned to the wall again, staring at it af if he expected the answer to appear on it in perfect cursive. "But that's crazy," Teddy muttered under his breath as Larry drew closer to stand beside him.

Stroking his chin thoughtfully, the prefect said, "Is it possible it's malfunctioning? Maybe the charms on it are wearing off?"

Teddy sank into a contemplative silence. "It has been a couple of decades… But this is the first time the map would be glitching out like that."

"Well, maybe we can reinforce the charms?" Larry suggested.

"Or," Rose said behind them, "maybe he went into a secret passageway."

Teddy huffed. "Not a chance. My dad made this map, and he's been everywhere in this castle. He couldn't have missed something… Not here."

There was a heavy sound of stone grinding against stone. Larry and Teddy whipped around, only to find Rose standing back at the staircase… where there now was a hole in the wall next to her.

Teddy stared at her, wide-eyed. "How... How did you know about this?"

Rose looked away, embarrassed, and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Erm… I once stumbled into it."

Teddy didn't waste time with questions and immediately rushed over. "Lumos." The tip of his wand ignited, but as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but black. "Well, if you survived the trip..." he said, right before plunging in.

Larry and Rose exchanged a look but followed the faint glow of Teddy's wand. The passage was narrow, dark and filled with spiderwebs, and it wasn't long before the two prefects ignited their own wands as well.

"So..." Larry said after a few minutes of silent exploring. "How did you end up finding this tunnel?"

"Erm… This tower… this is where I first met Curly," Rose said.

Larry chuckled. "So this is where he nearly died," he said, not even trying to contain the snark. The West Tower, which had an excellent view overlooking the west courtyard, was a perfect aiming spot for a water-balloon-based attack.

Rose nodded. "It was after my first Frog Choir rehearsal and… I got a little lost. I stumbled into a part of the castle I'd never been in before, and I pressed something. I know I started on the second floor and dook the stairs down, but I somehow ended up… here." Rose had to duck under an enormous spider web blocking the top half of the tunnel. Larry followed, trying not to think of what had made it and how big it probably was. "He was standing right there, at the window, when I came out," she continued.

And Larry knew the rest. She startled him, he fell, she barely managed to pull him back. History was made.

"Hey, there's a staircase going down here," Teddy called from up front. "And one going up."

Larry shined his wand up. "I think this might be where you came from," he said to Rose.

Teddy squinted up at it. "Displacement charm, looks like. Might have a Confundus weaved into it somewhere." Then he turned to the others again. "Question is, then, which road did our intruder take?"

"Hmm… It is reasonable to assume he did not go up," Larry said. "Since we are at the top of the tower, he would likely presume they led outside, to the roof. To a normal person, the stairs down would seem like the only way forward."

"Unless there's more convoluted architecture involved," Teddy mused. "Heh, I should bring Victoire in here for a date sometime. She'll get a kick out of the design."

Larry could not fathom why a date in this dark, cramped hallway might be considered a good dating spot, but he did not dwell on it and instead suggested, "We can always come back and try the other way later."

"True," Teddy said, turning to face the staircases. "Down we go, then."

The trio descended the ominous staircase. An odd, seaweed-like smell in the stale air, and Larry heard Rose take a shaky breath next to him. He threw her a questioning glance to make sure she was okay, but she simply nodded. As they followed Teddy further down, a candelabra on the wall suddenly came to life.

"Look at the design on that..." Teddy said, stopping next to it. His fingers caressed the instricate snake-shaped holder, and the whole thing swiveled to the side.

The stairs beneath them flattened into a smooth slide. Panicked screams bounced off the walls as the three of them flew down along the curved shape of what was once a winding staircase. More and more torches lit up as they passed by, illuminating the darkness. At the end of the slide they hit some sort of spell: their speed slowed, the angle they were falling at changed, and somehow all three of them found themselves standing up on their feet, completely stable—if somewhat windblown—at the entrance to another tunnel.

"Where are we?" Rose whispered, craning her neck up at the dots of light above them.

"Below the castle, I think," Larry said, mentally trying to measure how far down they'd gone. It felt like they'd been falling for mere seconds, but looking up it was clear that they'd covered a considerable distance.

"No," Teddy said. He was standing right at the entrance of the new tunnel, his wand shining a light down the circular corridor as water dripped from the ceiling. "Below the lake." He turned to face them. "I think this might be a way out of the school."

There was a loud, muted sound up above them, like the rolling of distant thunder. They could almost feel the pressure against the stone walls surrounding them as something big and heavy swam by on the other end. Rose found Larry's hand and squeezed it in a vice-like grip, her fingers almost crushing his.

"I think that's the Giant Squid," Teddy said reassuringly. "We should be okay."

Then, somewhere in the expanse of the tunnel, past Teddy's right shoulder, Larry saw a flicker of green light. "Look," he whispered, pointing with this free hand. "That's him!"

Teddy whipped around and broke into a run, his blue converse splashing in water as he sprinted towards the distant light. "Stay here!" he yelled back at them.

Larry rolled his eyes and ran after him, wand at the ready. He was a few feet deep before it hit him that Rose was following. Skittering to a stop as Teddy continued on without him, he whipped around to look for his friend. He spotted her still there, at the entrance, fumbling around her robes with shaking hands.

With a quick look over his shoulder at the distancing light of Teddy's wand, Larry made up his mind and ran back to the staircase. "Rose, let's go, he's getting away!" he said, reaching for her. She recoiled from his wet fingers as if they were covered with acid. He wanted to slap himself. Of course. Water. Rose was afraid of water.

"Rose, I have to go help Teddy, okay?" he said urgently, already backtracking to the tunnel. "We'll be right—"

"N-no, I can, I can, I can help this time." Her whole body was shaking, fingers twitching as she was trying to uncap a vial of blue liquid.

It hit him all at once that she was about to drink whatever made her act irrationally, and before he knew it he was in front of her again, grasping her wrists. "No, Rose! Whatever this is, don't take it!"

"I have to!" She struggled fiercely in his hold as if her life depended on the little blue vial.

"Rose, no! It's bad for you!"

"No!" she screamed. "No, you don't understand! I need it! I NEED IT!"

Larry was shocked. He'd never seen her like this, so desperate, so out of control.

"I'm nothing without the potion!" Rose shrieked, and to his horror her voice broke. "I'm a useless coward!"

Larry glanced at the vial, and it dawned on him. A blue potion. Liquid courage. "Rose, have you been taking courage potions?" There was a yell somewhere behind him, and a bright light illuminated her wild eyes. An urgent whisper at the back of his head reminded him that Teddy was fighting a Cloak down there, but right now he couldn't just leave Rose. "Are you out of your mind?" he said, trying to snap her back to her old self. "They have serious side effects! That's why you've been so reckless and impulsive — they make you lose your inhibitions! You can't keep drinking them!"

"I NEED THEM!"

His grip around her wrists tightened, and he shook her, as roughly as he dared. "No, you don't! You're brave enough without them!"

"No, no, NO!" Rose continued to twist and squirm, but he could tell she was getting tired. "Give it to me, Larry! If we were ever friends, give it back!"

"I will not," Larry replied firmly. "As your friend, it's my job to make sure you don't make stupid mistakes like this! How long have you been taking these? Where did you even get them?"

"They're safe, I promise! Curly's potions are always flawless! He wouldn't mind if I took some, he didn't even notice! Give it back, give it back!"

For one, terrifying second, Larry actually thought Curly might have brewed this for her on purpose. Of course, that was ridiculous. If he knew…

"If Curly had the faintest idea what his potions have brought you to, he'd never go near a cauldron again," Larry said. Something exploded behind him, and he felt water lap at his heels.

Rose stopped struggling, panting heavily, her head bowed down. "I need them, Larry," she whispered, and her body was wracked by a silent sob. "If I had them with me when the Greenhouse exploded, I would have helped you put out the fire. You wouldn't have been in there, suffocating."

He stared at her, feeling as if a giant metal fist had punched him right in the gut. "Rose..."

"A spray of water. I couldn't even make a measly spray of water." She looked up at him, her blue eyes swimming. "I wanted to be brave, like you. But I'm not." Her gaze flickered briefly to the tunnel behind him. "Just watching that tunnel, I can feel the fear rising up my throat, choking me, freezing my insides. With the potion, I can be brave. I can do what I need to do, I can walk through that water and help Teddy."

Larry didn't know what to say. Here was his friend, on the brink of tears, wanting to use a potion to get over her aquaphobia, and he stood in her way. Just for a second, he looked at the vial and wondered why he was keeping it from her. Then he remembered all the things she'd done because of it, all the danger she'd blindly jumped into. His grip loosened and he let go, only to swipe the vial from her fingers and crush it under his foot.

Rose let out a choked gasp, sinking to her feet. Larry knelt down, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Rose, look at me," he commanded. She obeyed, barely keeping back her tears. "You don't need this potion to be brave." She shook her head, but he gently tightened his hold. "Listen. There is more than one way to be brave. This potion, that's recklessness. It's a Gryffindor type of courage. That's not who you are."

She shook her head again. "Without it I never would have saved Fitz," she muttered, sounding an awful lot like she had a bad cold.

"Yes, you would have," he reassured her. "Your own way. And maybe you wouldn't have jumped out and revealed our position, causing Fitz to come defend us." Her eyes snapped to his, and she started at him as if he'd just fallen down from space. "And maybe you wouldn't have blown up the Skrewt lair and released all those baby skrewts onto the unsuspecting public. You would have found another way. A smarter way." Her head drooped again. "You already are brave, Rose. You stood up for Moe and turned a girl's head into a pumpkin. You jumped into the burning Greenhouse to drag me out. You torched that spider in the Forbidden Forest and saved our lives."

"That wasn't courage," she said quietly. "That was fear. All of it. I was so afraid that—"

"Courage is not the absence of fear," he cut her off, making her finally look at him again. "Courage is making a choice. The choice that there is something more important than fear. If you aren't afraid… then you're not really being brave."

Rose sniffled. "That… That actually makes sense," she said.

Larry smiled. If there was anything that would sway Rose, it would be a logical argument.

Something rumbled behind them again, like a giant monster yawning. Larry turned around, just in time to see Teddy running towards them.

"Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go!"

As he whizzed past them, the Head Boy caught hold of Larry's sleeve, pulling him along. He in turn dragged Rose with them, and they leaped towards the smooth stairs-slide. The rumble of water echoed in their ears as a wave poured out of the tunnel. Mid-jump, the three teens' trajectory changed again, and suddenly they were falling up, the exact way they came. The whole thing was extremely disorienting, and Larry had to summon all his willpower to stop himself from vomiting.

Once they reached the top (bottom?) of the stairs, the three landed in a messy pile of black robes and limbs. With a groan, Larry managed to tilt his head sideways and throw a glance down the stairwell. It was quickly filling up with water.

"You both in one piece?" Teddy said. "If you're missing body parts, I know a guy that can lend you a fishing rod."

Larry let out a strangled laugh. "Well, at least we know the Cloaks won't be using this entrance again."

"Unless they bring scuba suits," Teddy said, helping Rose to her feet. He stared down at the rising water with a scowl. "I guess I'll have to go see McGonagall after all."