Chapter 53

The Food Chain

There were three teachers in the school, besides the elusive 'Directeur'. Lagunov, Mulroy and Serge. Serge taught Blanche's class while Mulroy instructed the Wand Bearers in Élite. The Élite students always had an air about them of knowing mysterious truths that were far beyond the other students. This led to a certain degree of unpopularity but it was clear tat the other students were jealous of this superiority and of their privileges. Not only did they get to carry wands but they also ate alongside the teachers who treated them with respect and civility. The rest of the students were treated as just that, students. With the exception of the Faible class, of course, who were treated like dirt.

Even the other students were encouraged to exclude or abuse the four Faible students but Albus didn't mind this. He wasn't here to make friends and he didn't speak French anyway so it didn't matter to him how they addressed him. He was perfectly content to sit with Noire and Rose, peacefully discussing their own forbidden business without interference.

"Crétins!" James spat as he sat down at their table having been shunted aside in the Lunch queue.

The only French that James had bothered learning were insults such as "moron" or "fool".

"I'll show them…" He muttered threateningly.

"Pick your battles, James." Warned Noire wisely, "There are bigger fights to put your energy into, with bigger rewards."

This made James quieten but Albus could see the anger still burning under his brother's skin through his stony expression. James was too proud to take such injustices lightly. He wasn't used to having to reside in such humility. At Hogwarts and at home growing up, he could always work his way to the top of the pack through a mix of chance, charm or intimidation. Yet here he sat on the lowest rung of the ladder, without any form of respect or admiration, tormented by kids who were often smaller and weaker.

Albus realised that his brother's childhood bullying had left him at an advantage in their current circumstances. He knew better than to point this out to James though.

Besides, most of the other kids weren't so bad. Sure they felt it was their right to skip lower classes in the food lines but that was probably something they learned while in Faible themselves. They probably thought that if they pass the test and progress to Élevé that they had earned the privilege.

"I hate being in Faible!" Spat James indignantly when Noire got up to return her plate to the House-Elves counter, "Do you know what 'Faible' means?" He demanded.

Albus did know but he didn't answer.

"It means 'weak'!"

"What does it matter?" Rose sighed.

James didn't answer but wallowed in his frustration some more.

"The rest of the kids here, they get to move up to Élevé because they show their support for the 'new natural order', we resist it, even when they treat us like dirt, we're stronger than they are James." Rose told him her face sad and strong.

Albus looked at her and knew that Rose may have lost her memories but she'd far from lost her character.

"But why not just do the test?" James asked, "Why not just agree. It's only words."

James looked tired. Rose looked grave,

"Sure. At first it is only words." She said, "But you say those words over and over again and you start to convince yourself."

Albus considered this and wondered if the other children had started of doubtful of the messages they were given, but slowly lost resistance as they heard it over and over again. After all, they never knew any different. As Noire had said, they never heard the counter argument; the other side of the story.

"What about Blanche?" James demanded, "They're just words to Blanche."

Rose considered this.

For a while there was silence at the table.

In a very low voice Rose finally replied,

"Do you think Blanche is happy? Just because she's in Élevé?"

"That's not my point." James huffed, "I just mean at least she doesn't have to go through this treatment."

The time for lunch was over now and they began to prepare the hall for Physical Training. Albus saw James approach Blanche across the room but she turned away from him, talking to her own peers.


"I'm sorry James." Pleaded Blanche later as they sat in book club that night with a sizable gap between them.

James ignored her, pretending to be absorbed in his book about some old famous bloke.

"You know I only ignore you to keep you out of trouble." She hissed across the space between them, "Please don't do this James."

James sighed, his resolve cracking. He'd never been any good at ignoring things.

"I know." He whispered and he heard her sigh. He didn't look at her. He knew that if he looked into her deep dark brown eyes that he would forget all his anger and all his worries. Right now he needed that anger because it was fuelling a plan.

"So you forgive me?" Blanche begged.

James could hear the hope in her voice and was momentarily glad that she cared so much about his reply.

"You know I want us to be friends." She continued.

James flinched and drew his hand away from where it rested on the floor, turning his body further away so as to put more distance between them. He secretly wanted to hear how sorry she was again.

She reached out and pulled him back towards her. But immediately realising her mistake dropped her hand and glanced around the room. James could see the fear and worry in her face and dropped his eyes back to his book instinctively.

"Listen, I'm sorry James. This is just the way things have to be right now." Blanche sighed.

James knew she was looking away, mouth covered by a book, pretending to be totally oblivious to the Faible kid sitting about one foot further along the wall. He could hear every movement, every rustle in her grey tunic, every scuffle of her boots, every breath she took.

"I know." He whispered.


It was pitch black when Albus awoke that night. All around him he could hear the sound of deep, slow breathing from the dormitory beds around him. He looked around, putting his glasses on and wondering what it was that had woken him. In the nearest bed, James rolled over restlessly. The rest of the room was still and dark, totally silent – no, not silent. There was a noise like a scratching, a scuffling coming from somewhere but Albus saw no movement.

"What is that?" He thought, sitting up and frowning around.

All the beds contained sleeping figures but Marc's. He would be on patrol.

But the scratching, that was coming from his left. But the wall was to his left. It grew louder, coming closer and closer.

Chills ran down his back and he edged away from the wall looking at the wall over his shoulder. Still the noise grew closer. There was something moving inside the wall. It reached his bed and passed by. Albus let out the breath he was holding.

The noise continued, pausing every now and again as it made it's way along the the dormitory wall. Albus stepped out of bed and followed the sound of the thing, past James, then the next boy and then the next.

Albus was just starting to think that he must be going crazy when the door to the dorm swung open.

He looked up, startled and saw Marc staring back at him.

He waited for the boy to hit him with a hex or shout but instead he just marched into the room, letting the door swing shut. When he was standing right in front of Albus he stopped, Albus was frozen staring up into the older boy's strict eyes.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Hissed Marc, managing to sound terrifying and yet keep his voice so low that the other boys remained snoring.

"I- I don't know…" Albus stuttered pushing the thing in the wall to the furthest recess of his mind, "I was sleeping and then-"

Marc glared at him waiting to hear his excuse.

"I guess I was sleepwalking…" Albus muttered lamely.

"Go back to bed." Marc replied shortly.

Albus nodded and returned swiftly to bed as Marc took off his boots and cloak, only pausing once to glance over his shoulder again at Albus with an unreadable expression on his face. Albus didn't know whether to be frightened or relieved so he shut his eyes tight and prayed that he would fall asleep again quickly.


"Let's do it tonight." Said Noire two days later as they sat down to dinner, "Manon and Marc will be on patrol, that means Hunter and Armel will be fast asleep in the boys' dorm."

Albus raised his eyebrows at her with a wary expression in his eyes but James was already on board. They had waited a week already but there wasn't a lot that they could do in preparation for the task at hand. He pointed this out and Rose seemed to agree.

"What about Blanche? How will we let her know unless we have another meeting?" He questioned.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure she gets the message." Noire assured him.

"Do you know what do?" She asked after a pause during which Albus glanced at his brother nervously.

James shrugged, "Albus-"

"Comet." Corrected Noire. She had been encouraging them to use code names since they had agreed on them. After all, if anyone heard them using their real names, their cover would be blown.

"Right, Comet – Comet will stand guard outside the dorm and watch out for Marc and Manon." James recited, "Blanche will come inside and pick the lock on Hunters bedside table while I keep an eye on the dorm and make sure no one wakes up."

"And if they do?" Albus muttered uncomfortably.

"If they do, we hide." James replied.

They had debated emergency plans but couldn't come up with anything more elaborate.

Albus pushed his dinner around his plate fretfully.

"What time?" He asked in a mournful tone.

"Wait until everybody's asleep and then open the dorm door ever so slightly. We'll do the same in our dorm and when both doors are open, we'll know it's safe for Blanche to slip across the hall. At that point Comet can take his position in the corridor and you can take yours." Noire instructed.

"Okay." James nodded.

He was nervous but determined. Once they had a wand they would be able to get out of this place.

"When you get the wand, come and get myself and Rouge and we'll hide it in our dorm. I know a good spot and it'll be less suspiscious. Tomorrow night, we'll go up those stairs in the kitchen and unlock the door at the top." Noire continued with assurance, "I can't promise that it will lead us out of here but it's a step toward the outside world."

"How do we even know that it does lead to the outside world?" Questioned Albus.

"We don't." Shrugged Noire, "But the only door down here that we haven't seen behind is the door to the Directuer's office and I doubt that the House Elves come and go through there."

"Right…" James muttered thoughtfully, "Follow the House Elves… Makes sense. They've got to know their way around this place better than everyone."


Albus fought to keep his eyes open as slowly gentle snoring began to fill the dorm room that night. He ran over and over the plan in hiss head, picturing everything going perfectly and hoping that if he just wished hard enough, everything would.

He hear James sit up in the next bed. Nobody stirred. He turned to watch as his brother pulled back the duvet and stepped lightly out onto the floor. Soundlessly, he crept t the other end of the room, where Marc's bed lay empty. With a click, he opened the door ever so slightly and then tiptoed back to Albus's side.

Albus was just getting out of bed when the door opened further and both boys spun around to see Blanche creeping inside.

Albus breathed a sigh of relief but then realised that this was his cue to exit.

He stood up straight and nodded to James by way of wishing him luck. He passed Blanche and did the same again but she didn't seem to see him. She was staring around at the sleeping bodies like a frightened animal, the whites of her eyes almost luminous in the dull dark. Albus hoped she knew what she was doing.

Outside in the corridor the air was chillier. Albus wrapped his white nightshirt around him and looked down at his bare toes. He leant back against the wall at the end of the narrow hallway with the boys' dorm to his right and the door to the girls', now closed, to his left.

Out here there were candles in brackets to give some light but opposite him was the unsettling darkness of the hall. He would have to rely entirely on his ears if he was to warn of Wand Bearers approaching.

He listened hard but the only sound was his own breathing, slow and steady even though the rest of him was shaking with fear.


And we fade out as Albus stands alone in the corridor. I am having some serious writing problems right now. The rest of this chapter has been waiting to go up but I know people want longer chapters so I'm doing my best even if it means having to wait to post it. Unfortunately this means that new posts cannot be as frequent as I would like. I simply don't have the time to write over 2,000 words per week. I wish I did but right now that's just not possible so I am really sorry you guys for this massive wait and thank you all so much for your patience!