Chapter 14: The Warning

More than a week had passed since learning of the secret passageway near the common rooms. There was still no word from Professor Atlee. Kerissa was still banned from Quidditch. Exams were closing in. And the last match with Hufflepuff was only a week away.

"Looks like we're going to have to do without Balfour." said Keegan. "We need to win by Ninety points to win the cup. We can do it, but we're going to have to practice hard."

By 'we', Keegan had really meant 'Marlowe'. The replacement chaser had not done well in practice at all. They had considered getting Lestrange to play, seeing as Kerissa wasn't going to return now. But that would have required a lot of extra practice. They had their formations down. They just had to give it their best.

Monday was spent preparing for many of the upcoming examinations. Albus had borrowed some of Gideon's notes for Potions, and had learned a few tricks that would help him pass the exam. Gideon was more than happy to share his potions notes with his fellow Slytherin students. It made him actually feel like part of the house. He had even helped some of the second years with their potions. Most were impressed by his abilities.

"Honestly, he's just a big show off." said Rose, scoffing at Albus using his notes.

"He has every right to." said Kerissa. "It makes him feel better."

"I know... but. He's not going by the book!"

"Books can be wrong." Albus told his cousin. She gave him a look that seemed to say that she didn't think books could be wrong about anything.

Peyton Pratt had been leaving Albus and his friends alone lately. Prefering to torment Marlowe instead. Albus felt that it was hurting their chances, but didn't dare to speak up for his teammate. He had to admit that he too would much rather have Kerissa back.

Not much was different on Tuesday. Professor Vareth offered students tutoring in transfiguration after class. Many Slytherin students took her up on the offer. Albus considered it briefly, but he didn't really need any additional work in transfiguration. What he needed to study harder in was History of Magic, as much as he hated to remember it.

Professor Atlee still had not bothered with the Devil's Snare in the dungeon. Albus wondered if he should tell Professor Pardayle about it - he figured James was wrong about him - but decided not to. He didn't want to get into any further trouble. He was sure that Professor Atlee would have told the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher herself.

Wednesday, everyone was talking about the match between Hufflepuff and Slytherin. The game would decide who won the cup. It was on nearly everyone's mind.

"I'll be supporting Slytherin for the first time ever." said Serge Macbeth, one of James's friends.

"Hufflepuff has the best team ever!" boasted Charles Cartwright. "We've just got to win. Our chasers are great - Cadwallader, Young, and Patterson. They're the best trio of chasers ever!"

"I heard that Cadwallader is being scouted by the Tornadoes. He's only in his fifth year, you know?" said a girl from Ravenclaw.

"Yeah, but Balfour is a great Chaser." a Slytherin student reminded them. "And she's got a Supernova."

"I've heard she's not playing." said Charles. "So we won't have to worry about her."

Albus had even received a letter from his father regarding Quidditch.

Dear Al,
Your mother and I know that your last Quidditch game is
coming up. Win or lose, we are proud of you no matter what.
I also felt that you'd like to know that progress is being
made in identifying Lady Sinister. I heard from Professor
Pardayle that you and James were looking into her. Your
mother wants me to tell you how disappointed she is!
But I want to tell you that I'm proud too. You are standing
up for one of your friends, and that is something worth praising.
But I must ask that you don't put yourself in more danger.
As your father, it would be irresponsible of me to say otherwise.
You'll worry your mother and I greatly if you put yourself in more
danger. Good luck against Hufflepuff.

-Love, Dad

With the last Quidditch match of the season on the mind, everyone found it hard to concentrate on anything else. Even in Astrology, Albus was distracted. He barely got anything done on his star chart, and even mislabeled one of the stars.

On Thursday, everyone was even more restless. Only Ravenclaw students seemed to be interested in studying. The library was mostly empty when Albus went to check out a book about Bognok the Wise, who was quoted as saying 'Nobody cares more about your money than the people you owe it to.'

In Herbology, Albus decided to ask a question for once.

"Yes, Albus?" asked Professor Longbottom.

"Professor," said Albus. "Is... there something that looks like Devil's Snare, but isn't?"

Kerissa gave him a look. She knew why he was asking.

Professor Longbottom thought for a moment. He then nodded. "Well, there are a couple I suppose. Flitterbloom, for one. But it's totally harmless. There's also Vampire Vine. It's very rare, though."

"How would you deal with it if you came in contact with it?" asked Albus.

"Well that's not very likely. But you'd want to water it." said Professor Longbottom. "Though if it catches you in it's grasp, you're done for."

Albus swallowed. He didn't like the idea of Vampire Vine.

When Friday had come at least, Keegan had called yet another team meeting at lunch time.

"Tomorrow is the big day." he said. "Win or lose, we just have to play hard."

"Who knows, maybe Marlowe will actually score once." said Winchester.

Turner and Barnes laughed. Marlowe didn't look too happy at the comment though. He looked like he wanted to quit the team. Albus felt bad for him, but he felt like there wasn't much he could do.

In Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor Pardayle went over some common counter curses that they'd be learning next year with Professor Chambers. Most Slytherin students were sad to hear that Professor Pardayle wouldn't be their Defense against the dark arts teacher next year. But Gryffindor was ecstatic.

After class, Albus had tea with Hagrid as he did on most Friday's. Their discussion focused a lot on Quidditch, but they also talked about summer vacation. Hagrid said that he was going to France to visit an old friend over the summer.

"Haven't seen her in a while." said Hagrid. "I reckon she'd still like ter see me."

"I'm sure she would, Hagrid." said Albus, trying to cheer Hagrid up.

"Now, you and James aren't up ter anything are yeh?" asked Hagrid. "I had to ask, you know."

Albus shook his head. "We've decided to leave it up to Professor Atlee."

"Good!" said Hagrid. "Wouldn't want yeh gettin' into trouble - or worse, gettin' hurt."

With the match against Hufflepuff being tomorrow, Albus figured it wasn't worth looking into. He couldn't get Kerissa back on the team in time. And Kerissa was safe in the castle. But he still couldn't help but wish he was able to help.

Back in the Slytherin Common Room, the entire house had gathered to have a pep rally. It had been a long time since Slytherin's Quidditch team had been relevant. So many of the older students were very excited that they'd have a shot at winning for once. Even if it were slim.

"I took this book out of the library." said Kerissa, who had taken Albus away from the rally to talk to him.

It was titled Fifty Rare Plants That Are More Dangerous Than They Look. She quickly flipped to the page on Vampire Vine.

Vampire Vine
This rare plant is extremely deadly.
Once it grabs it's unsuspecting victim,
it will not release them, leaving only their
skeletons behind. Vampire Vine looks like
Devil's Snare, but is dealt with in the
opposite way. Fire will only make it grow.
However, it will wilt if watered. Just
a little water will let you pass it,
but if you aren't careful you will
wind up caught in it's grasp. The vine
was banned by the Ministry of Magic in
1887, after six wizards were killed after
being unable to identify it. They had
tried setting it on fire, and when it didn't
work they tried again. They were never able
to figure out that it wasn't Devil's Snare.
The old rhyme goes:
Vampire Vine
You'll Be Fine
Incendio
Will make it grow
But Aguamentei
Will Set You Free

"You're not thinking of..."

Kerissa shook her head quickly. "No, but I thought it'd be good to know in case we did have to."

Albus had to admit, it was good knowledge to know.

"Of course... Professor Atlee could still be the one working with Lady Sinister."

"No, we removed her as a suspect remember." Albus reminded her. "But we didn't really get conclusive proof." said Kerissa.

Albus hated to admit it. But Professor Atlee could still be a suspect. It would also explain why she hadn't caught the culprit yet.

The pep rally lasted into the late hours of the night. Albus turned in before most of the rest of the team. Catching the snitch before Hufflepuff could score, would ensure that they won the Quidditch Cup. Then Marlowe wouldn't have to feel bad. And Keegan - as well as the rest of Slytherin - would really have something to celebrate.

The next morning, Albus woke up early. He considered once more going to Professor Pardayle's office to look at the map to find the password. But he thought better of it.

"Welcome to the last Quidditch Match of the season." announced River, as the match began.

"Today we have Hufflepuff versus Slytherin. Can Slytherin win without their All-Star Seeker Kerissa Balfour? Or will Hufflepuffs trio of chasers continue their dominance?"

For once, River Jordan wasn't being biased against Slytherin. It was a nice feeling. But Albus knew it wasn't becuase Slytherin was losing it's bad reputation. It was because Gryffindor needed Slytherin to win - by less than ninety of course.

"Marlowe has the Quaffle. And he's - ouch. Intercepted by Young. Young shoots - and blocked! Looks like Donahue is actually doing his job for once!"

Rose, Scorpius, Gideon, and Piper were all in the stands cheering the team on as they had in all of the other matches. Kerissa had joined them as well, looking a little glum.

"Cheer up, you'll get to play next year I'm sure." said Piper. But it hadn't made Kerissa feel any better. She wanted to be up there with the team.

"And Hufflepuff scores the first goal!"

Albus tried to relax. They still had a chance to win. Hufflepuff's seeker - Talbot - had only caught the snitch once. And their beaters weren't able to cause much trouble for anyone. But their chasers - and their captain and keeper, Mallory - were a problem.

"Marlowe is intercepted yet again. We haven't seen this much incompetence since... well the Chudley Canons!"

Boos came from the crowd, supporters of the Canons. But River didn't let it bother him.

"And Young scores again! Just seven more times, and Slytherin's Albus Potter can catch the snitch. I mean err.."

But nobody bothered to correct him. Even Professor Atlee seemed to not be paying attention to River's commentary.

Marlowe seemed unable to handle the Quaffle for very long. He kept getting intercepted. It was as if Slytherin were playing with only two chasers. Scoring on Mallory was hard enough with three chasers - with just two, it was nearly impossible.

The score had risen to Forty to nothing, before Winchester finally managed to score. Albus still had no sign of the snitch.

"Come on, Albus. You can do it." Kerissa cheered.

Keegan and Winchester had stopped passing the Quaffle to Marlowe after he was intercepted for the fifth time. They tried keeping it out of his hands. But he always seemed to get it.

"Hufflepuff leads Sixty to ten."

Young, Cadwallader, and Patterson made for a dream team. They kept going back for more. Albus realized soon, that victory would be out of reach.

"Come on... where are you snitch?"

As Keegan managed to score the second goal of the game for Slytherin, Albus spotted the snitch. For the second time in his days at Hogwarts, he had a good chance at catching the snitch - he dove for it at full speed. But it wasn't long before Talbot started diving as well. Talbot wasn't heading for the snitch though - he was heading right for Albus!

"Ohh! That was a rough one! Pretty dirty move by Hufflepuff. Potter misses the snitch by inches!"

Albus had nearly been knocked off his broom.

"I may not catch the snitch," said Talbot. "But I'm sure not going to let you before we have a chance to win!"

The game was soon out of control. Slytherin was down One Hundred Twenty to Thirty. Donahue was tired out by the three amazing Hufflepuff chasers. With Marlowe as their third chaser, there wasn't much chance of catching back up either.

"Good try, Potter." said Keegan. "If you get the chance to catch the snitch, and end the game, just do it."

Hufflepuff kept building the score higher and higher. Their chasers were relentless. Keegan and Winchester both managed to score once more each, but the Hufflepuff chasers managed to score once more as well.

"Things just go from bad to worse," River Jordan announced. "Slytherin is now behind One Hundred Eighty to Fifty. But Gryffindor wants to let Slytherin know - if you catch the snitch now, Albus, your brother won't pick on you all summer!"

Albus was already plenty motivated to catch the snitch. He didn't mind seeing his brother win. In fact, he'd be quite happy for him.

When he thought he caught sight of the snitch, Hufflepuff's beaters hit him with a bludger, making him lose sight of it again. Hufflepuff was trying to make the snitch irrelevant.

"What a beating..." River explained. "Just ten more points, and even if Slytherin gets the snitch..."

Just as River said that, Hufflepuff scored again, putting the score at Two-Hundred to Fifty. Keegan or Winchester needed to score again. But Mallory had it easy. He didn't have to worry about Marlowe at all.

"Come on, Marlowe. Just score once for us." Albus told him. "You'll be a hero!"

"I don't think I can!" said Marlowe. "I'm just not cut out for Quidditch."

Albus had remembered thinking those exact words after his first game. But he had to admit - he had a better showing than Marlowe did.

"We've got faith in you!" said Albus.

But it didn't seem to do much good. Hufflepuff had once again scored, building it's lead even further. Winning was almost out of range. And winning the cup was impossible now.

In the stands, Slytherins were feeling let down a little. They had such high hopes for this year. To their surprise, it wasn't that they had two first years on their team that held them back. In fact, most of them now wanted their second first year back on the team.

"It's all my fault, they're losing." said Kerissa. "If I was able to play..."

Rose shook her head. "No, it's not your fault. It's Lady Sinister's"

"Lady who?" asked Piper, having not heard the story yet.

Kerissa gave Rose a look that indicated that she had said too much.

Rose covered her mouth. "Uhh.. I wasn't supposed to say anything."

"Oh, alright." said Piper, who went back to watching the game.

Kerissa still didn't feel better, however. She enjoyed playing Quidditch. And she wanted Slytherin to win the cup very badly. But those chances had vanished quickly.

Albus finally caught sight of the snitch again after Hufflepuff scored a couple more times.

"I'll end it on my terms." he told himself. He was going to catch the snitch, even if it meant losing. He quickly pulled up, heading straight for the snitch. Talbot was heading straight for him again - but Turner had beamed a bludger right for him. It missed, but it had slowed his path enough for Albus to grab the snitch, and end the game.

"And Slytherin Catches the Snitch. That's the match! Hufflepuff wins Two Hundred Sixty to Two Hundred. Hufflepuff wins the Quidditch Cup!"

Gryffindor and Slytherin were both let down by the loss. Only Hufflepuff was celebrating.

On the ground, the team held their last meeting of the year.

"Well done, team." said Keegan. "There's always next year. We can do it."

"It was all my fault." said Marlowe. But Donahue shook his head. "If I had blocked a few more goals..."

"We win and lose as a team." Keegan reminded him. "You did well for a stand-in, Marlowe. Though next year I hope Ms. Balfour is back. At least then I'm sure Lady Sinister will have been dealt with."

Albus wasn't sure that he had heard right at first. He knew that he hadn't told Keegan about Lady Sinister. Albus found it very odd that Owen knew the name. He had started to wander if his team mate may have been in on it...

"What? You didn't think I'd ask Professor Pardayle why our Star Chaser couldn't play in the most important match Slytherin has had in twenty years, did ya?"

Albus was relieved. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you." he said.

Keegan shook his head. "It's alright, Potter. I understand why you didn't. Though I wish you had. I only found out today. If I had known about it a week ago, I'd have interrogated everyone in the school!"

Albus laughed. Despite losing, the team still seemed to have it's sense of humor. And he had managed to catch the snitch. He had gained a lot of confidence in his abilities. Year two... he planned to win it all.

The team walked back to the common room together. There wasn't much cause for celebration. But the team felt confident that they could win next year.

Back at the Slytherin common room, everyone was exhausted. Exams were closely approaching. Quidditch was over for another year. And for the fifth years, OWLs would be beginning shortly.

Not even Peyton Pratt had seemed too upset that they lost. He seemed to be coming around a bit.

"Keegan knows about Lady Sinister." Albus told Kerissa. He felt that she should know. "Pardayle told him."

"Rose almost let it slip to Piper." said Kerissa. "But I didn't want to worry her with OWLs coming up. I hear they are dreadful."

Many Slytherin students stayed up late into the night. Though they had lost, they still decided to celebrate how well the team had done. It was their best performance in a long time, and things were actually looking up. Only a few students placed the blame anywhere, and those that did placed it square on Marlowe. Albus felt bad for him, but he had to admit Marlowe might not be cut out for Quidditch.

An hour before Midnight, Professor Pardayle came up to the common room to tell everyone to go to bed. It was highly unusual for him to do so. In fact, it was the first time that Albus could remember him being in Slytherin Dungeon.

"Exams are approaching." he reminded them. "You should all be getting a good nights rest."

Albus saw that he had the Marauders map in his pocket.

"If anyone sees Ms. Holly, please tell her that she needs to get to bed soon as well." he added.

Albus wondered why he didn't tell her himself. He could easily find her on his dad's old map. But Professor Pardayle left, and students started heading for bed. A few of the prefects were busy cleaning up the mess that other students had left behind. Albus picked up the books he had been looking over while the party was going on, and got ready to head for bed himself.

It was then, that Piper walked through the door. She didn't seem to be herself.

"I deliver a warning." she said. It had caught everyone's attention. Everyone froze in their tracks.

"You have seen the marks in the hallways. They are the marks of Lady Sinister. She wishes it to be known that nobody else has to get hurt. Just let her have Kerissa Balfour. That is all she comes for."

Piper then collapsed on the floor, leaving everyone wondering what had just happened.