The train ride home, because that was what Thomas had now — a home. Left Thomas with mixed feelings. Leaving Bernard in the shadow of his parents, who wouldn't so much as look at him. Left Lars very quiet as well, when they which the O'Sullivan Manor. Thomas couldn't help to get caught up in the spirit of things. Christmas holidays with the O'Sullivan's as the best thing Thomas ever experienced. Ever.
The dinner — for five. Was the craziest thing Thomas ever seen. Unlike the small meal Thomas was only allowed scraps from. There was fat roasted turkey, a ham bigger than Thomas could carry on his own. Mountains of mashed potatoes, platters of cheese, bowls overflowing with buttered peas. Silver boats — that actual floated! Spun around the table carrying a thick, rich gravy and red bubbling sauce.
Snacks were in every nook and cranny of the house. Thomas had his fill before morning ever came. One of the dessert, was this special cake — made with a rich fruit and nut combination laced with whisky. Aunt Merry — Thomas was still shy about calling her that, made it back in October. Despite its contains, both Lars and Thomas got a small slice.
Thomas received a scare of his life when he opened the crackers given to him by Berry. What the house elf had given out was nothing like the feeble Muggle ones he had seen the Rows hand out. To everyone but him of course. Thomas pulled a wizard cracker with Lars and it didn't only snap open and smell like a match, it went off with a blast!
Knocking Thomas clean out of his chair! It engulfed them all in a cloud of red smoke. From the inside the smoke exploded a tumble of glowing butterflies. That escaped into the dark corners of the house. The heaps of gifts for everyone — was also outstanding. Thomas had to reorganize his ring to make all the potion supplies fit inside. He felt kinda bad for his self-made gifts, but no one, not even Berry would have any of that.
Before leaving back to school, they celebrated 'Nollaig na mBean' or Women's Christmas. Traditionally the women got the day off and the men do the housework and cooking! Thomas found out that cooking and potions was not an interchangeable skill. He followed the recipe, but still... it tasted off. Uncle Liam and Lars managed to save the dinner, by bringing out the left overs. It was a lot of fun.
Thomas face still stung from all his smiling when they got on the train to return to Hogwarts. It was a shame Bernard couldn't say the same. He came back looking more tired, and solemn than when Thomas had first met him. His first words to them, was an apology that his library books came up empty.
It didn't bother them, but Bernard seemed upset. His lips were tight, and his body was stiffer than a statue. Not even Lars could draw a smile out of their friend. He did, however get him to relax, and the closer they got to school. The more Bernard came out of that hard shell of his.
Professors were coming down hard about exams. They first heard about it in Herbology, where Bernard finally reverted to his usual self. Unlike the others Thomas stayed relaxed. He didn't worry about each Professor warning, class after class.
His friends looked fine with them — why should he worry? That was because, his friends were smart. Not regular smart, but wicked smart. Without Pipa to balance them out, Thomas didn't know what he was in for. Homework came in like the exams were around the corner, and not at the end of the year. Pop tests, and surprise questions were coming out of the woods — like pixes freed from their cages.
Exams, Tomas discovered — sucked. He thought they shouldn't be that bad, he paid attention in class, he took notes. He knew what he was doing, at least enough to get by. What was the problem then? It was that everything he knew — was wrong. Outside of potions, Thomas was struggling to keep his head above passing.
Professor Frost knew, that Thomas knew, that she knew. That Bernard was the only reason his mandrake was still alive. Had that little guy not struggled to get out of his hands during transplanting. Thomas figured he would have had a better chance at pulling one over on her. Lars thought otherwise, but Thomas was sure, with Bernard's help. He could manage — somehow.
Professor Frost hadn't called Thomas out on it. She didn't keep an extra eye on him, Thomas was sure of that. Bernard was both fascinated and horrified at most plants reaction to Thomas. Vowing that he had never harmed a plant, or even cared for one before. Kept Bernard from believing him to be a plant murderer. Thomas didn't even like most vegetables. Vegetables not liking him either — seemed rather fair.
Professor Barlow's flying class wasn't bad. At night Professor Barlow would take Thomas out for a midnight flight. It was a secret from the others, that made Thomas feel kinda nice. Professor Barlow and him would talk about all sorts of things.
His knowledge on vampires was amazing. With Professor Barlow's help, he would be riding a broom like Lars and Bernard in not time - despite his mixed hertiage. Both grew up riding a broom, and the night lessons helped him catch up. Thomas's did discover his love to have his feet on the ground, Professor Barlow said that was fine too.
He wasn't as bad as Psto — whose broom still bucked him around. Every class left him either pale or with broken glasses. He wouldn't omit it out loud, but the sight made him feel a little better. Thinking left him feeling a little worse. Thomas was hoping the two feelings would balance themselves out. Classes like History of Magic was boring, and without Pipa to struggling beside him. Thomas wasn't fairing all that well.
Bernard tried linking famous wizards with poetry. Few famous wizards wrote their own stories. Let alone their own poems. Lars was helping him, by making flash cards. It was a small deck of cards. That shuffled on its own. It mimicked the exam questions, and if you got it right — it cheered.
What Lars didn't know was that the deck could get dejected. Thomas got so many answers wrong for History of Magic. The deck lost its will to continue, dropping to the table. Unwilling to work with him further.
Essentially, their spring break was a mountain climb. Roughing it up the mountains that was homework. Exams that Thomas seemed doom to fail; and with Thomas's inability to produce a Patronus charm. He might as well sign up to vampire school, or whatever would happen if he went with Professor Nocturne. Thomas wasn't getting anywhere with anything.
At least with everyone as busy as them with all the extra homework. There was no one to stir up trouble with Thomas. Lars — after another gruelling test about which old wizard signed what scroll. That made it that ghost haunting Muggle homes would receive punishment.
A test, Thomas couldn't remember the questions, let alone the answers. Brought Thomas, and Bernard to their new favourite spot the Room of Requirement. Who kindly turned the couch and coffee table into a large round couch for the three to share. Draped over it — exhausted. Thomas looked at his friends. Wondering what they're going to do about — well any of it.
"Why do they have to test us about everything all at once?" Thomas asked tugging on the tight braid in had laying over his shoulder-length hair.
"It's to show them that we remember it all." Lars said dry as can be. His ankles crossed over each other, and his hands folded comfortable across his chest. He laid on his back on the couch.
"You not doing too bad — for someone with no formal schooling." Bernard offered, from his potion on the couch — he was the only one sitting on it.
"Don't worry, we won't let you fail." Lars said closing his eyes. He may be smart, but exams were tiring even to the smart, and not to mention their other problems.
"What about Pipa?" Thomas said, even though spoken in a whisper. It added an extra layer to the air. Making the room feel stuffy.
"I'm sure she'll get offered a pass." Bernard said, his words spoken in a sad sigh.
"What about next year?" Thomas couldn't imagine catching up on a whole year, or near a whole year of work.
"Maybe there won't even be a next year." Bernard said turning his head away from them. Something about Bernard looked to be wilting, dying off right in front of his eyes. His voice a dark whisper. One that never should have been inside of Bernard. He was to stand up a guy for that.
"Don't say that." Thomas sat up on the couch. He didn't want Bernard to talk like that, to think like that.
"Why not? It's the bloody truth and you know it!" Bernard stood up and turned to Thomas. His eyes red. They were the eyes of someone on edge. Either Bernard was going to break, or something else was going too, by Bernard's hands.
"Bernard -" Lars opened his eyes, and moved himself upright.
"No, don't Bernard me. You're not my father." Bernard laughed hard and dry. It sounded painful to Thomas's ears. "He couldn't be more disappointed in me than you."
"We have to have hope." Thomas said his words weak, he had a hard time believing in hope himself. He had all but lost it in the weight of exams, and the pressure of finding his animal. Not to mention the loss of Pipa. Nothing looked promising, but he still had a flicker of light. Keeping him from the dark.
"Hope what? That you won't leave us to join some vampire coven?" Bernard spat out his words.
"Your no closer to finding your animal. Then I am being the perfect Malfoy — like my dear younger sister." Bernard turned to Lars before Thomas could even react. "You, without Thomas I doubt we'll remain friends."
"What do you mean by that?" Thomas demanded to know, standing up from the couch, and standing up for Lars.
"I know his only friends with us, Pipa and me, because of you." Bernard said, he started to pace the length of the fireplace. His eyes like an angry spell shooting sparks at both Thomas and Lars. Thomas could feel a pain stirring in his chest. The one that told him, words bordering on a lie were being spoken. "Without you — he would have nothing to do with us!"
"That's not all true." Thomas said rubbing his chest. "You don't believe that."
"Your detector is broke, your abilities are broke! That is why we can't find a silver of your animal! After all your only a third of a vampire!" Bernard hissed, "That is why were in this mess!" Thomas winced, but Bernard didn't stop there.
"I wouldn't be living in a fantasy. That I could love Herbology, that I could be happy in Gryffindor, that Pipa-" Bernard cut himself off. His hands balling into fist, Thomas back up until the back of his knees hit the couch. Was Bernard couldn't hit him?
"He is right Thomas, partly." Lars spoke up moving between him and Bernard. "Without you, I would have blending into a different group." Lars was popular, Thomas remembered seeing some upper classmates talking to him once.
"I made that choice — after seeing you, Thomas." Lars smiled, it was a gentle smile. That was both happy, and sad all at the same time. It made Thomas chest pin with pain, not because he lied, because it hurt — that smile. With what sight had Lars seen him with? "Also, because of you Bernard." Lars said looking at the angry Bernard.
"What?" Bernard said his face dropping in shock.
"A life without Thomas. I can not go through that — not again." Lars held up his hand, stopping Thomas from even thinking of his question that made his mouth open up. He continued to speak to Bernard, with firm conviction. "Seeing you, and now knowing you. Bernard, is something I don't want to miss out on."
"Your family will not break you Bernard." Lars's back was facing Thomas, but Bernard eyes started to tear up. His shoulders shook, Bernard was carrying a lot of weight on them. Thomas wish he could help him with it, he couldn't right now, but he could take some it away.
"Did you see that." Bernard said, with empathize put on see. Thomas figured out what he was asking, had Lars had a vision.
"With me, Thomas, and Pipa, because it's always Pipa for you." Lars reached a hand out and took Bernard by the shoulder. "Like it's always Thomas for me." Answering the question, without answering the question. A very Lars like thing to do. "We won't let it be any other way."
"I understand." Bernard looked at Thomas, who wasn't understanding much of this part of the conversation, and back at Lars. "But how?" Bernard's voice shook, but he grabbed onto Lars's arm like a life line. Thomas knew Bernard wasn't himself. Thomas frowned, and thought hard on how to help Bernard, on how to help any of them.
"If we can't find my animal, could we can find Pipa's soul instead." Thomas walked up to stand beside Lars. They had been focusing on Thomas's animal for the past couple months. It was time to try something else. Putting his hands inside his robe. To rub the little brown egg he had retrieved from this very room. He had developed the habit into fiddling with when worried. A much better option than the old pocket knife of his.
"Because we've done a stellar job at that." Bernard gave a barking laugh, and rubbed his face with his sleeve. Stopping his emotions from overflowing onto his face.
"We haven't tried to hard on that front." Thomas pointed out.
"Seven of Pentacles — reversed." Lars looked up. His eyes didn't glow, but the colour of his ever-changing hazel blues was spinning. "Fear of success, time is running out." Lars reached out taking Bernard and Thomas by the shoulder. "I think we've reached that point."
"I fear us succeeding?" Bernard said shaking his head, with a hard crack.
"Time is running out." Lars corrected.
"What can we do?" Thomas said with time running out, did they have time to do anything?
"Let's focus on this. What do we know?" Lars said dropping his hands to fold them over his chest. Thomas paused, what did they know? Lars's vision offered a lot of information, but none of it had any contents. His one mother possessing Lars, only added to the confusion.
"Someone is taking souls, we don't know why." Bernard said turning away to look at the fire. The light flickering his hair into different shades of red. "Not knowing what to do. It's a recurring theme in my life." His shoulders slumped.
"We know someone managed to control the spirit or soul of a troll." Lars said, "That has to be of some importance."
"They didn't even do anything with it." Bernard said, lashing out his fist to hit the brick of the fireplace. Making Thomas wince, better it them him, but that had to have hurt. "Its useless information!"
"Is it? The girl's bathroom could be important somehow?" Lars said, taking out his want to fix up the cuts on Bernard's hand — who Thomas was happy to see, let him. "That was where it happened."
"The chamber of secrets is in the bathroom." Thomas blurted out, getting both their eyes on him.
"What?" Lars asked, tucking his wand back away.
"The chamber of secrets. I went there, or at least to the bathroom, after you guys fell asleep — remember?" Thomas pulled his hands out of his pockets to wave them around as he tried to centre his thoughts.
"So?" Bernard said his eyes narrowing at him.
"So," Thomas dragged out. "The ghost in the girl's bathroom told me something."
"I do remember you saying something about a snake?" Lars said, but his face filled with the same confusion as Bernard's.
"She told me, some strange men tried to get into the chamber. Not boys, not students, but men." Thomas stressed it out. "That chamber had ties to Harry Potter, right?" Thomas took them back to their first, and only theory.
"The troll was the first monster he faced." Bernard said, joining Thomas in his budding idea.
"The chamber not only controlled his second year. It reappeared in his later battles in Hogwarts." Lars said his eyes lighting up.
"Why would they want the chamber?" Bernard said, shaking his head. "That doesn't make any sense."
"It could be, if it's not the chamber they want." Lars said his voice went stone-cold. Making Thomas feel cold all over again.
"Do they want what he fought in there? Like the troll?" Thomas said, the idea of a giant snake seemed like a nice idea, but not if it was a bad snake, of a ghost of a one.
"It wasn't a snake he fought in there — it was Lord Voldemort — or a part of him." Bernard said his breath coming in sharp inhales.
"Lord Voldemort?" Thomas asked, caught up in school, and their own magic lessons. Thomas hadn't gotten the chance to check out much about Harry Potter.
"You don't know?" Bernard said, taking a deep breath. He offered Thomas a shaking smile. The first sign that Bernard was starting to collect himself. "I forget you grew up with Muggles."
"He was the reason behind the great war, he was the darkest of wizards — that even the pitch-black beings feared." Lars explained, "Harry Potter almost died every year, because of him." Thomas shivered. Lord Voldemort sounded like a regular boogeyman, or worse like a giant frog. The hairs on the back of Thomas neck stood on, at the mere idea.
"First they took a Potter." Bernard muttered. "Then they took Pipa — a muggle born witch." Lars added on.
"They took another student to, but there all still alive." Thomas whispered, not wanting to speak to loud, in case they, whoever they were, could hear him. Silly, but the surrounding air did felt chilly. Thomas looked around, and inch closer to the fire.
"Are they trying to bring him back?" Bernard asked, looking wide-eyed.
"Why would they want to?" Thomas asked shaking, he started to rub his arms to find of the cold.
"Some Dark witches and wizards, may want him back." Bernard said with a grimace. That made Thomas and Lars look at each and nod, a silent pact to ignore that look. It was that same dead eye look he got, whenever he mentioned his family.
"His soul, or what remained of it was broken. They couldn't bring him back." Lars said adamantly.
"Could they bring back a trace of him, his power?" Thomas asked, clueless about these sorts of things.
"There would be better places to do it." Bernard said, "It can't be about him."
"First year, was about the third floor — student were not allowed near it." Lars said, ticking off his fingers. "Students can go up there now." Thomas knew that. They used it for different clubs that the students had, once they reached their second year that is. Professor Barlow had told him about that.
"Second year, it was the chamber." Bernard muttered into his raised hand. "Third year, wasn't mentioned, but I don't think Voldemort himself had much to do with that. The wizard cup, sent Potter somewhere else, and most of the other events were off school grounds, or in an open space."
"If you wanted privacy to try to reconnect a soul — the chamber would be it." Lars said, "There is no snake there now, so it would be safe."
"Are we going then? To the chamber?" Bernard asked. Lars shook his head.
"First we prepare." Lars said, turning to Thomas. "Can you make some potions that might help us out?"
"I'll look into a few things." Thomas said nodded his head, potions were his specialty. An acid green potion came to mind. If there was a bad guy, blowing him up couldn't be a bad option.
"Bernard, is there anything we should know about the chamber?" Lars turned to Bernard who frowned.
"Not much is writing in great detail, but I'll see what I can find in the library." Bernard, eyes were returning to the normal shade of honey brown, and he looked far calmer than a few minutes ago.
"First we have to talk to the ghost in the bathroom." Lars started walking to the exit.
"We're just going to walk into the girl's lavatory?" Bernard said, "In the middle students heading back to their dorms for the night?" Lars stopped in his tracks, and turned back around.
"We should get lost in the bustle." Lars said, not looking at all worried.
"I've already been in there once, why not again?" Thomas shrugged, "The faster we help Pipa, the better."
"This is crazy." Bernard said, but started to make his way to the door anyway.
"That's the spirit." Lars said turning himself back around. Thomas walked to the exit himself, when Bernard stopped him with a hand to his arm.
"Thomas, I," Bernard started, his face in a grimace. "What I said..."
"It's okay Bernard," Thomas said, stopping the awkward words that weren't coming out.
"It's not — you know." Bernard sighed, "Christmas was difficult for me."
"Friends, are the family we choose, Bernard." Lars said as they reached him. "Fights are normal, but we move on, together."
"Together." Bernard said straightening his robes and opening the door for them to leave. Not another word was spoken about Bernard's angry outburst. They all understood, his family... were not good people. Thomas understood a thing or two about being stuck with bad people.
Lars had saved him, and maybe together with Thomas. They could one day save Bernard, they were all in it together. Like Lars had said, they were the family they choose to have. They'll tackle their problems together. Did that mean that their small group of three boys, had to enter the girl's lavatory? To save another member of their family. Yes, yes it did.