Chapter 47: In the Bleak Midwinter
Oddly, Chance was getting heavier than the book was, Miri noted as they trudged up another set of stairs. Did Professor Kilduff have an office on the ruddy roof?
"Would yeh like me ter carry somethin'?" Hagrid asked. Miri looked between the cat she carried and the book and offered Chance to the large man. He smiled faintly as she hugged the book closer to her chest and gasped when the staircase they were on moved. She kinda hated that part. Everyone said that there were charms to keep people from falling, that it wasn't that different than being on a broom. Miri totally disagreed with that point.
She trusted herself; Henry had always told her that to achieve you needed discipline, and while some days it was hard, when she could try, she always did her best. She might have screwed up a lot. But he had also said that you never truly failed until you gave up. Henry never gave up; Miri wasn't giving up, no matter who thought she failed. She wasn't going to fall off the broom because that was giving up.
But trusting the moving staircase and its safety measures was trusting someone else – and she probably needed a bit more work in that.
When it connected with surprisingly little jolt to the hallway above, she stepped off and took a deep, calming breath before heading in the direction of Hagrid's nod. The door to Professor Kilduff's office had a beautiful stained glass panel in the top of it, golds and sunshine yellows darkening toward the top and edges like a sunset. Hagrid tapped on the glass – which was good, because for all of her trying to remember and be brave like Henry, she would have been terrified.
Professor Kilduff was indeed the woman who had inadvertently let Chance out the door. "Oh, Hagrid, come in, come in." She was dressed in a warm yellow jumper and long black skirt with pawprints that looked a bit like a badger's. "And this young lady is?" she asked as she shooed both of them toward the arched stone fireplace built with a huge fire. The walls were paneled in golden wood, and quilts in sunset colors showing a lakeside cabin during all the seasons of the year hung in place of paintings. The chairs nearest the fire were stacked with leather bound books that floated up and returned themselves to the bookshelf.
"Cocoa? Biscuits? You two look half-frozen!"
Hagrid looked at Miri, who shrugged. Professor Kilduff wasn't really listening anyway; she had cocoa pressed into their hands before the two of them could do anything more than exchange those looks. "How 'bout chocolate chip? Maybe gingerbread?"
"Uh, sugar?" Miri offered.
"Here, uh. Oh, I," Professor Kilduff said, floating a plate of sugar biscuits in Miri's direction, "didn't catch your name?" A moment later some fudge and a small flask floated in Hagrid's direction.
"Miri, um. You—you're the Ancient Runes professor, right?" Miri said.
Professor Kilduff sat perched on the edge of the sofa near Hagrid, covering her lap with a knitted throw in black and yellow with the Hufflepuff badger in the center. Chance hopped out of Hagrid's arms and settled into the Professor's lap.
"That's Chance; she's Ben Moore's cat," Miri introduced, causing both Hagrid and Professor Kilduff to smile.
"This 'tisn't exactly a social call, Professor," Hagrid rumbled before nodding encouragingly at Miri. Miri took a drink of her cocoa before setting it on the end table next to a miniature palm tree in a Caribbean painted pot.
"I found this book, in the snow. Um, well. Zach—Vivianne said she would—help me practice some spells, one of the—well—I have a little trouble with a couple of my housemates." Miri's face tightened slightly, and she hoped Professor Kilduff wouldn't ask for any more than that. She probably shouldn't have been learning those hexes and Vivianne doubly shouldn't have been teaching her them. "She—thought it would help. You know—counter-spells and stuff." Miri chewed at her lip for a second, waiting to see if Professor Kilduff would let her leave it at that.
"That sounds like Vivianne. Now if it was Sybilla, I'd be truly worried." Professor Kilduff's smile never faltered, still warm and inviting.
"While we were practicing, Zach came and got Vivianne. He was worried cause—his friend Rowan? Is—he thinks she's missing. He and his friend Jon, they talked and neither of them had heard from her—and she was—well—I'm not sure why she was going to go to Hagrid's cottage on Saturday before the train." Miri stumbled off.
"Her mum, Elaine, she's a friend o' mine. An' with Elaine's mum havin' passed on this year, Rowan was talking about spendin' the holiday with her mum instead of her dad," Hagrid explained when Professor Kilduff turned a thoughtful gaze on him.
"Of course. Makes plenty of sense to me," Professor Kilduff told him, stroking Chance's back.
"But she never got there. Elaine and I thought she'd decided to go home to London instead." Hagrid wilted slightly.
"It's all right, the morning before the kids leave is always chaos, Hagrid," the spindly professor reassured him, patting his large hand.
"I still shoulda checked," Hagrid muttered and took a big bite of fudge.
"They went and got Ben—and that's how I have Chance. She—ran out the door—I was—waiting," Miri admitted.
Professor Kilduff lifted Chance and waggled her finger at her, scoldingly; the kitten wrapped her paws around Professor Kilduff's wrist and brushed her face against the finger.
"You are thoroughly disarming," Professor Kilduff said. "Sounds like she scared you."
"She did—but—when I was looking for her, I found this book." Miri slipped off her chair and knelt down on the rag rug in front of the two teachers. "I—was—sorta talking out loud to myself and well …" Miri bit her lip and flipped the book open, showing the blank pages, which caused Professor Kilduff to look puzzled.
"Could you show me that thing on the Clawspawn again, please?" Miri asked the book. She saw the two professors look at each other, but she was too busy watching the words form themselves on the page to read a lot into the glance. She gave a little squeak of excitement as the words appeared.
"The thing in the ruins, the tiger thing that attacked Vivianne: it's a Clawspawn." Miri pointed to the passage about the creature's appearance.
"Oh! Oh, Merlin. I've read about Clawspawns, in old translations and such. Yes, they were moderately common in certain areas and—groups," Professor Kilduff said. "But …" She trailed off.
"It says here at the bottom. That one of the known sightings was in Scotland at Morgan's castle. It was 'displaced.' In the book. I don't know what displacement is …?" Miri trailed off, trying to pull her roiling thoughts and theories into coherence.
"It's a phenomenon that happens when too much magic is brought to bear on one place. Things can—well—basically disappear; they're not here, but they're not gone either. I've never seen it happen—nor known anyone who ever has seen it happen," Professor Kilduff explained. "And even in writing I've only heard of it maybe twice. And even then it was—not enough to displace an entire castle."
"But this would've been Morgan le Fay and—and somebody with a Clawspawn. Y'see?" Miri said, looking at Chance and not Professor Kilduff, in case the Ancient Runes professor was about to laugh at her.
"Yes, if even half of what we know of Morgan was true—if someone could bring enough power to bear on a place to displace something like a castle, it would be someone like Morgan." Professor Kilduff looked thoughtful. "But what about Zach, Vivianne, and Ben? You said they got Ben when you were entrusted with Chance – but where did they go?"
"They didn't say that part—but they were looking for Rowan."
"The ruins," Hagrid and Professor Kilduff both gasped. "We have to take this to Maxwell, Hagrid."
Hagrid muttered something to himself, but climbed to his feet. Chance hopped off Professor Kilduff's lap and Miri swept up the book.
"Here, we'll take this with us." Professor Kilduff offered, picking up the mug of cocoa and plate of biscuits as they headed for the door.
Silently Miri thanked the book and heard – maybe just in her imagination – something almost like a you're welcome.
Rove took a deep breath and prayed for patience.
"Mrs. O'Blake," he started, because out of the three irritated adults standing before his desk, she seemed to be the leader, "I understand why you are worried. I truly do. However, as of yet, we don't have any evidence that something … untoward has happened to your daughter. Miss O'Blake is, well, sixteen – practically an adult. There are a hundred reasonable explanations—"
"Not for Rowan!" shouted the Muggle – Mr. O'Blake. Rove tried not to wince. Even if he was a Muggle, Rove had pegged Mr. O'Blake as being the reasonable one – more reasonable than his wife, at any rate. But apparently that wasn't to be. "This is not like her! She disappeared somewhere on the grounds of this—massive school—and we need to find her!"
"I understand it can be very difficult to face the possibility that one's child is not … how shall I put this …"
"Maxwell!" Filius interrupted. "For Merlin's sake—Rowan is not that type of student! If she isn't where she is supposed to be, if none of her friends have heard from her—"
"None?" Rove asked. "From what you told me, you spoke to one of her friends."
Mrs. O'Blake snorted. "If Rowan was going to pull a disappearing act, Jon would know it. He'd know it before she would!"
Rove's eyes bugged, but even Filius was nodding along at that one.
He switched tactics. "Mr. O'Blake … Mrs. O'Blake … you are aware that there is … a boyfriend in the picture, are you not?" he asked delicately. "Forgive me; on the one hand, it's certainly none of my business, but on the other hand—this is a boarding school, and we administrators cannot help but become aware of such matters. Especially when—well, especially when known troublemakers are involved. I think, before we rush to any conclusions, we ought to at least ask Mr. Moore a few pointed questions."
Filius was making a face, but Mr. O'Blake, at least, looked somewhat receptive. "Elaine," he murmured, "that certainly can't hurt – especially since he was supposed to walk her down – we could learn what happened right from the source, rather than through hearsay. He might know more than what Zach said to Jon."
Mrs. O'Blake, however, was watching Rove with narrowed eyes. "You know," she said slowly, "this being Hogwarts, I would have thought that a student would have to do a bit more than run a Headmaster's pants up the flagpole before he became a known troublemaker. I mean, you have seen worse here. Far worse."
Rove blinked – and Filius looked ill.
But Mrs. O'Blake's gaze didn't leave his.
Rove took a deep breath, ready for another argument—
He was saved by a knock coming from the door. "Come in!" he called. Perhaps whoever this was—
It wasn't. He knew that as soon as he caught sight of the light flashing off Leo's sword—sorry, cane.
However, he wasn't expecting what – or who, technically – was accompanying Leo. Pomona—Neville—and—Rosie?
"We have three students missing," Leo said without preamble. "Ben Moore, Zach Duncan, and Vivianne Gorlois."
There were three exclamations at once.
"Ben?" yelped Filius.
"Zach?" shouted Mr. O'Blake.
And – somehow louder and more disbelieving than the other two – "Vivianne?" asked Mrs. O'Blake.
Now, ideally, would have been the point to take control of the situation. But Rove didn't have the chance.
"You!" Rosie snapped, pushing her way to the fore. "You! I knew—you have something to do with this, don't you? What did you do to Vivianne?"
She was pointing at Mrs. O'Blake.
"Rosie—" Neville yelped, trying to grab Rosie's arm before she could move farther.
But Mrs. O'Blake just rolled her eyes. "Fuchsia," she said, "I am on my last nerve, and so help me, if you push me, you are going to spend a long, long time in your natural form, and I won't turn you back until you're ready to be human again."
"Elaine!" Neville's eyes were wide.
"Her … natural form?" Mr. O'Blake asked, in the tones of a man who knew he would regret this but who couldn't help the question.
In answer, Mrs. O'Blake's wand whipped out and pointed toward one of Rove's most prized possessions: a congratulatory chalice he'd been given when he was named Headmaster.
The chalice turned into a donkey.
"What on—" Rove started, stumbling to his feet, but the chalice/donkey barely had time to bray before Mrs. O'Blake lazily flicked her wand that way again.
The donkey turned back into a chalice.
"Understood?" Mrs. O'Blake asked.
Rosie had turned – not pink, like her name – not even red – actually, her face was rather close to fuchsia at the moment. Her mouth opened.
"Silencio!" Neville called.
Rosie took a deep breath and her mouth moved—
No sound came out.
Rosie hiccupped.
"Sorry, Rosie, but it's really for your own good," Neville said. "Elaine means business."
"Thank you," Mrs. O'Blake said. "Now, if we can get back to—"
"Absolutely not!" Rove exploded, standing up. "Professor Longbottom—I expect better from you! And Mrs. O'Blake—I will not stand for my staff being threatened! If I see any more displays like that, I will have you removed from the premises!"
Mrs. O'Blake turned around—and Rove suddenly sat down, hard.
He'd met the old Gorlois Matriarch – Igraine Vivianne Gorlois – a few times. Ministry functions, back when her husband was alive, fundraisers and charity events after the war. He'd seen her glare a couple of times, and though it was never aimed at him, the glare was always mildly terrifying.
This was worse.
But it was the Muggle who spoke up.
"Are you seriously more worried about a teacher being turned into a donkey than a student—four students—missing?" Mr. O'Blake shouted. "For God's sake! That's—that's nothing! Rowan—Rowan has been gone for over two days, and we don't know where she is, and—"
His voice sounded perilously close to breaking. Neville laid a hand on his shoulder, causing him to jump. "Sorry," Neville said. "And—um. Neville Longbottom." He held out his free hand, a little awkwardly, and Mr. O'Blake shook it just as awkwardly.
"Robert O'Blake," he muttered.
"Well, now that's out of the way," Leo said, "can we talk about how we're going to find our missing kids?"
Rove's mouth opened. He prepared to tell Leo just who was in charge here, and what would be happening, and how these students were going to be in detention for the rest of their natural lives if he could possibly manage it—
He never got that far. There was a knock on the door.
"Oh, for Merlin's sake!" Rove shouted. "What now?"
Zach was obviously flagging, and Ben wasn't in much better shape. The tiger didn't like the flames, but it was soldiering on past them, gaining ground. It could obviously see much better in the dark than they could – and even with all the clean-up that the students had done, the atrium was marble-floored, and now that the temperature management spells were turned off, just a little bit of snow getting in could result in an icy puddle that any of them could miss.
"Fuck! It's herding us, Vivianne!" Ben said, making a connection between where they were and the way the tiger was advancing.
"It is." Vivianne glared at the tiger and shot a burst of flame straight at its face; it dodged to the side.
"The hall with the warded door," Zach guessed their destination, obviously thinking that the tiger would trap them against the door and then make mincemeat of them when they'd worn themselves out.
"Wait, the warded door." Ben turned his attention for a second to Vivianne's hand. "You opened the secret passage—and that sigil—it's Morgan's, right?"
"Your point, Moore?"
"Can you open the fucking door?"
Vivianne stared at him before a triumphant bellow turned her attention square back to the Clawspawn.
"Get my back," Vivianne said slipping from the fore between the two boys and darting down the hall. Ben and Zach closed ranks. The tiger actually had sat down and was cocking its head to one side, as if thinking.
Then it lunged, nearly getting singed by twin Incendios from Zach and Ben.
"Oh, bloody fuck, I can't see!" Vivianne said. "My grandmother might've known how to do this in the dark with her eyes closed, but I need to see the door."
Ben took another step back, wishing one of them could take their eyes off their pursuer to even just give her a quick lumos. His boot hit a small patch of the ice he'd been worrying about earlier, tipping him into the mosaic-covered door of the reception room. After his arm passed into the space, one of those weird purple lights – like in the secret passage – flickered on.
"Thank Merlin!"
"Thank Ben. What did Merlin do?" Ben tossed over his shoulder.
"Don't press your luck, Moore," Vivianne snorted, but there was a hint of a laugh in her tone. "Got it. Wards are primed." She said something lost in a roar from the tiger. "In, both of you!"
Zach dashed in first, Ben a moment later. Vivianne stuck her tongue out at the tiger as she slammed the door shut almost in its lunging face. She muttered something and the surface of the door lit with runes glowing with purple-and-black light.
"So where are we?" Zach asked.
"Lumos Maxima," Vivianne said, as light flashed to reveal a room that looked – well – like a study or library. There were scrolls neatly stored in pigeonholes, even a few old books and stone tablets.
"There's still oil in this lamp." Ben said, looking at what seemed to be a desk with a hammered bronze lamp sitting on the edge of it. "Well, here goes nothin'."
"What are you—," Vivianne jerked back as Ben conjured a match and tossed it into the oil as he kept far back from it. The oil lamp flared to life. "You idiot, you could've blown us all up."
"But I didn't," Ben pointed out.
"Gryffindors!" Vivianne said, but came around the other side of the desk and peered at the work surface. "I'll bet you ten galleons that this was the study. Morgan's study, not that that necessarily helps us." She sighed and flopped down in the chair, which surreally still had a cushion on it. "What I wouldn't give for the book."
"The—book Rowan has?" Zach asked, rubbing across Vivianne's shoulders.
"That book, yes." Vivianne shook her head. "It probably has a map—where the secret passages are—a list of passwords—all that stuff is in the book for Caer Tintagel—it would have something that would help us out."
"Might I point out that you just said this is Morgan's study." Ben rolled his eyes.
"So?"
"So, think, Gorlois," Ben snapped. "If Morgan were gonna write her passwords down in a book after she didn't live here anymore, don't you think she might've—I dunno—wrote 'em down and put them somewhere in the heavily fucking warded room she kept all her other secrets in?"
Vivianne looked at Ben for a single sharp moment.
"Help me get these bloody scrolls down."
"Yes'm," Ben said.
"I could get used to that." Vivianne shot him a smirk.
"Don't. Really—don't." Ben returned the smirk and started laying scrolls on the desk.
Is this a bad time? was the sentence that sprang to Brigid's lips, but she bit down on it. It didn't matter if this was a bad time. What they had was more important whatever could be going on in this room, short of the third coming of You-Know-Who.
Still, habits died hard. "I'm sorry if this is a bad time," Brigid said, opening the door, "but Miri here has some—"
She stopped dead and looked around. There was Leo – Pomona – Rosie – Filius – and Neville for some reason – along with a man in Muggle clothing who looked an awful lot like little Rowan O'Blake, and a tall, dark-haired woman who was clearly related to Vivianne Gorlois.
And Rove was there, too.
However, he certainly wasn't going to get a chance to say anything. The tall woman's eyes had locked on Miri – or rather the book in her arms. "Where did you get that?" she gasped.
Miri squeaked and stumbled back against Hagrid. "Elaine," he rumbled, putting a comforting and huge hand on Miri's slim shoulder.
"Sorry—I—" The woman – Elaine – stopped and shook her head, taking a deep breath. Her tone was much gentler when she asked, "But where did you find that?"
"It—I found it in the snow," Miri said, holding the book a little tighter to herself.
"In the snow," Elaine repeated, still in that deliberately gentle tone, "in the snow where?"
"By—by the Forest—near Hagrid's hut," Miri said. "I think—I think it's magic? I mean—it—well, look." She flipped the book open, and this time Brigid didn't even blink when the blank pages presented themselves. "Sorry, book—can you show us the bit about the Clawspawn again?"
Brigid didn't bother to watch the ink appear and the words form on the page. She watched her peers and the two other adults in the room. What she saw was mostly surprise, maybe a little bit of shock. Leo didn't show surprise, of course, but he was Leo. And everyone was staring at the book. Everyone except Elaine – she was watching Miri, frowning faintly, a mix of curiosity and thoughtfulness.
But Leo was the first to speak. "Clawspawn?" he asked, stepping forward, his cane thudding against the floor.
Miri took one look at him and her eyes went wide. She stumbled back and thumped right into Hagrid. "Be nice, Leo," said Hagrid, "she's jest a firstie. An' she's here ter help."
Leo raised an eyebrow. "I am being nice." He glanced down at Miri. "Could I see that book—Miri—please?"
"Um …" Miri's fingers tightened, almost reflexively, on the book. But after a moment she nodded and handed it to the professor.
"Hmm," he murmured, glancing at the words written on the page. Brigid put her own hand on Miri's spare shoulder and flashed her a smile when she looked up.
But the next person to speak was Elaine.
"Clawsp—shit!"
"Elaine!" Pomona gasped – scolded, really.
Elaine was shaking her head and walking—storming—over to Leo. "That thing is what I think it is, isn't it? Big, nasty Dark construct?"
"Yep," Leo answered.
"How did it get here?" Elaine asked. "There hasn't been one in Britain since before the Norman Conquest!"
"We—we think it came from the ruins?" Miri spoke up.
"We think," Brigid clarified, "that—that the ruins might be—an old stronghold of Morgan le Fay's. And it was displaced due to—well, we haven't figured that bit out yet. But if anyone could cause displacement of something the size of the ruins, it would be—I'm sorry, Elaine, are you all right?"
Brigid was staring at Elaine—who had gone pale, even paler than she had been when Brigid walked into the room, which was saying something.
"No, I'm—" Elaine stopped talking. She hurried to Leo's side, staring at the book – Brigid wasn't sure she was actually reading – over his shoulder. "The Clawspawn was left in the ruins that were displaced," she murmured.
"Seems to be," Leo said, raising an eyebrow at her. "Ms. O'Blake – is there something you might want to share with the rest of us?"
"We need to get to the ruins," she said, very quickly. "We need to get to them now. If—oh, Merlin—"
"Elaine?" the man in Muggle clothing asked. "What's going on?"
"Morgan's stronghold," Elaine said, pointing to the book, "and my mother's murder—and now Rowan—oh, Merlin—and she said this had something to do with Rowan—"
"Who?" the man in Muggle clothing asked. "Elaine—"
"We need to get to the ruins," Elaine interrupted. "If what I think—Morgan left them for a reason—and this—this is too much coincidence—"
"What is?" asked Leo.
And that seemed to draw Elaine out of—whatever she was in. "Morgan was attacked," she said, "I'm sure it's all in the book—but all Gorloises know this story. Or at least the bare outlines of it. Her stronghold—her daughter—was attacked. Morgan was able to fend the attacker off—but the stronghold—yes, displaced, that's what happened. When my mother told me the story—I didn't understand at first—but now I know—now it all makes sense." She took a deep breath. "If those ruins are Morgan's stronghold—or if someone just thinks they're Morgan's stronghold—then Rowan is in a world of trouble! And if those other kids are anywhere near the ruins, they are in just as much danger!"
"We need to go, then," Filius said – and that seemed to break some kind of stasis.
"Now hold on just a moment!" Rove said, standing up and trying – so very hard – to look impressive. "This is all baseless conjecture! We still have no idea what—"
"Rove, so help me," Elaine almost spun on her heel, "if we don't set out in the next five minutes, I am calling in a Code Wrackspurt and damn the consequences! And do you remember what happened to this school the last time my boss showed up in the middle of the night? Because I do!"
Brigid wasn't sure what that meant—but by the way Hagrid, Filius, Pomona, and Neville all gasped, they did.
Rove's normally florid face paled. He slowly sat down.
"We've got four kids missing, Maxwell, and this is our best shot at finding them," Leo said, probably unnecessarily. "You want to explain to their parents why we sat here twiddling our thumbs when we knew they were in danger and had a good idea where they were?"
"We have to go, Maxwell. We have to try to find our students," Filius added.
Rove could do nothing other than nod.
"All right then," Leo said. "Neville, Hagrid? You up for a walk?"
"Always," said Neville, grinning a little manically.
"I'll get me crossbow," nodded Hagrid.
"Great. We'll grab Camilla on the way down."
"And I'm coming too," Elaine added.
"We're coming too," the man in Muggle clothing corrected.
Elaine shot him a short, appraising look. "You know first aid, don't you?"
"Rowan has to practice with someone," the man said with a bit of a smile.
"We're coming too," Elaine said to Leo.
Leo didn't argue. "Pomona—Rosie—Neville, you might want to take that spell off her—"
Neville shot Leo a plaintive, pleading look.
"Well, before we leave," Leo corrected. "Anyway, the other kids' parents should be notified. Now is as good a time as any." He glanced at Elaine. "As for calling in outside assistance …"
"If we get into real trouble, I can call in an alert that has every Auror on duty to us in five minutes," Elaine said.
"I think I can manage that too," Neville said. "I doubt the codes are the same—but, well, the people who count will recognize my Patronus. Among … other things." He jingled the coins in his pocket.
"Good," Leo said. "All the same—Filius, if we haven't sent word back within two hours, send for help."
Filius nodded.
"Let's move," Leo said with one brisk nod. But he paused. And looked at Miri.
Miri's eyes went wide.
"Mind if we hold on to this?" he asked, holding up the book in one hand.
"I—um—it's not mine …" Miri muttered.
"It's Rowan's," Elaine said. Then, with a glare in Rove's direction, "My mother left it to her."
"Your … mother?" asked the man in Muggle clothing.
"It's complicated," Elaine said.
And that was seemed to be all that needed to be said. Hagrid handed Chance back to Miri without a word. Only Neville spoke, and he merely pointed his wand over his shoulder and muttered, "Finite incantatem," in Rosie's direction before beating a quick retreat out the door.
Brigid saw why. "Of all the—that blood traitor! That half-blood—mongrel! If they got the new matriarch killed—"
"Rosie, hush," Pomona said. "That's not important right now. Now you need to get in touch with Vivianne's mother, let her know what's going on."
Rosie's eyes went wide. "But—she's in France!"
"Then you'd best hurry," said Filius, very coldly.
Rosie blinked – but she went pale, and without another word, she rushed out the door.
"I'll fire-talk Ms. Duncan," Pomona said, hurrying out of the office.
"We should get the rest of the students into their common rooms," Filius said to Rove. "I'll take care of that."
Miri flagged, and Brigid saw it. "Filius—if we send Miri back, she's going to get mobbed. She can stay with me in my office until we hear back?"
"I don't—" Rove started.
"I think that's a grand idea," Filius said with a smile for Miri. "Although, Brigid, would you mind helping me make sure the students are where they're supposed to be?"
"Certainly. Miri, you stay with me," Brigid said. Miri nodded.
They started to leave, but a sputtering Rove stopped them. "Wait—what am I—what about Moore's emergency contact?"
"Oh, I thought you could take care of that, Maxwell," said Filius – and unless Brigid was seeing things, he definitely had a … well, a rather evil grin. "I daresay you already have the contact information."
"I—I most certainly—"
"His emergency contact, if I remember correctly, is C. Madeline Corbie," Filius went on. "But if you can't remember her details offhand, and if they're not in your records – which they should be – I'm sure you can contact her son in a pinch. Chauncey Corbie? The school governor?"
With that, Filius shooed Brigid and Miri out the door. But Brigid couldn't help one last backwards glance.
She'd never forget the dead-white, panicked expression on Rove's face. Not as long as she lived.
