Chapter 55: Wizard Detectives

As the crowd began to disperse from the courtyard, Merula said to Claire, "Here's a helpful tip to remember: you know how Ollivander says no two wands are alike?"

Recalling Ollivander's words, Claire nodded. "Yeah, and?"

"The same principal applies to wandless magic. In other words, a caster's magic is not the same as another's."

"So how you cast wandless magic may not be the same as how I would…." Claire contemplated this for a moment. "I never thought of it that way. All this time, I was just concentrating on where my hand should point to in place of my wand."

"You should try focusing on something else, like maybe a close friend or a place you call home."

"I guess my bond with my brother Jacob helps me focus on a lot of things. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here."

Merula laughed merrily and said, "A familial relationship is always a good focus, though not for me obviously."

Realizing Merula was talking about her incarcerated parents, Claire said nothing further.

"Now, keeping your brother in mind, try casting a spell wandlessly," Merula suggested.

"Okay." Claire held up her right hand and pointed it at Merula. "Flipendo!"

To everyone's surprise, Claire's spell managed to trip Merula which even she was surprised by.

"Wow," Claire remarked, looking down at her right hand. "I can't believe that actually worked."

As the remaining crowd cheered at Claire with Penny and Ben among them, Merula got back to her feet. "Looks like you've nailed it, Krystal…."

"Thanks," Claire said politely. "But I'm still surprised you're willing to help me."

In response, Merula shrugged, "Maybe I've changed."

"Yeah, I guess you have," Claire responded, though she still kept thinking about Merula joining 'R' in Knockturn Alley.

After that, Merula left while the crowd mostly dispersed.

Corey was among the ones who stayed behind and approached Claire. "Seems like Merula is very powerful."

"No kidding, and that worries me," Claire said.

"So, can we talk about the fact that the book report you're writing about has nothing to do with Dark wizards but actually Merula Snyde?"

This made Claire hesitate to answer.

"Let's discuss this further in the Artefact Room," Corey suggested. "I've heard you and your friends like to hang out there to talk about things you don't want the other teachers to hear."

Reluctantly, Claire agreed to this and followed Corey to the Artefact Room. Once they were inside, Corey's usual cheerful demeanor became serious.

"The reason I suspect you're not being honest with me is because I recently asked Professor Binns if he was assigning any extracurricular reports on Dark wizards and he wasn't. So I asked around if other classes had a similar assignment going on, but none of them were."

"Well, you were the one who came to that conclusion," Claire pointed out. "So I technically didn't lie to you."

"Even so, you clearly suspect Merula of something given your concern about her summer activities and that duel seemed more personal that the ones you've had before." Then Corey's serious look became cheerful again. "But that's why I want to help you."

Claire was surprised. "Wait, so you're not angry with me?"

"How could I be angry at the chance of uncovering a greater mystery that you're clearly trying to unravel? Ooh, we can be wizard detectives! Like Detective Copper Conebush and Auror Kit Persimmons! That would be so cool!"

"Um, who?"

"You know, from the book series The Detective Files of Conebush and Persimmons."

"Sorry, not ringing any bells."

"Or maybe like…Mad-Eye Moody?"

"I'm not sure if Mad-Eye would like being called a 'wizard detective,'" Claire laughed and then corrected herself. "Not that I know him."

"But you just called him Mad-Eye, so you do know him! Oh, this is getting more exciting!"

"Calm down, Corey, though you're definitely more observant than you seem."

"There's more to me that just random wizarding facts and good jokes. I'm Head Boy for a reason, you know. Anyway, we should team up like Detective Conebush and Auror Persimmons to figure out what's going on with Merula."

"Are you sure? This could be dangerous."

Making a sharp laugh, Corey said, "The entire world is dangerous, Claire. Even this school hasn't been entirely safe with its Cursed Vaults and magical creatures running loose."

"You make a good point." Claire chuckled.

From there, Claire explained the incident in Knockturn Alley where she witnessed Merula joining 'R' and what they were based on her experiences with Rakepick and the Mahoutokoro Wizard who escaped Azkaban Prison the previous year.

Once Claire was done explaining, Corey remarked, "What kind of a name is 'R' anyway? And the fact that Merula did this after everything you two went through together last year is—

"Yeah, I still can't believe it either," Claire said, feeling relieved.

"But luckily, I can help you watch Merula when you're not around. Now, how are you coping with all of this?"

"Well, it's a struggle for sure. Sometimes I think back on what I thought I knew about Merula, and feel like she's just as mysterious as when we first met. And the worst part is not being able to rely on my other friends, who think 'R' is no longer their problem as they're moving on with their lives. Not that I can blame them, but I feel I can't just ignore Merula's treachery or 'R' for that matter since they're still out there planning who-knows-what."

"At least you're taking this better than most people would. It's a lot to process, so feel free to talk to me anytime about this kind of stuff."

"Thanks, Corey, it's such a relief to have someone to talk to about this stuff besides Mad-Eye and my brother."

"Oh, you're in touch with your brother? Did he really go mad from trying to find the Cursed Vaults? Though I never thought that rumor was true."

"He's perfectly sane, and currently seeking out 'R's remaining members along with Mad-Eye."

"So while they're busy with that, let's focus on our first case as wizard detectives. Let Operation Spy on Merula Snyde commence!"

To be continued…