"Well speak up" shouted a fourth year. "Who did it?"
"It was him obviously" Patricia shouted back, pointing at Darren. "James lied to protect him, because they're mates."
"I lied to protect him, because I know he didn't do it" James barked back. "I've been with Darren for the past two weeks; I know he wouldn't just destroy a classroom."
"Did you really do it Darren?" asked Bella.
Darren didn't reply. He just sat on the sofa, staring at the wall as if there wasn't anybody there.
"Answer the question" demanded Patricia.
"No" Darren replied. "I left the class shortly after Professor Thicknesse, then I went to the library to finish off the homework that was meant to be in for next week."
"If it wasn't Darren, who is it?" asked Patricia. "Show yourself you coward."
"Stop yelling Patricia" said Sebastian. "I know exactly who it is."
"You do?" gasped Patricia.
Everyone who was still staring at Darren now put all of their attention onto Sebastian.
"It's quite obvious when you think about it" he grinned. "Remember what Thicknesse had said about the book. He only got it out before he taught a Gryffindor class, and it was the only book that was damaged. Therefore only a Gryffindor could understand its significance, and therefore only a Gryffindor could have done it."
"We all get that" barked Patricia. "Just tell us who did it."
"Thicknesse was wrong" claimed Sebastian. "It was not just Gryffindors who saw the book. There is in fact a Slytherin student who has leeched himself onto a Gryffindor class, and is now plotting on destroying…"
"If you are to imply that Travis Gant was responsible, I'm afraid to tell you that he has a rock solid alibi" interrupted Benedict.
"From who?" demanded Sebastian.
"From me" replied Benedict. "Oswald Cannon was trying to sort out his quiditch team, so I went down to the pitch to check how he was getting on. It began shortly after the school day finished, and only just ended. Travis Gant made it onto the team as Slytherin seeker, and was there the entire time."
"Benedict was the last person to come back here before Darren" Patricia added. "If the Slytherin quiditch session lasted that long, then Gant wouldn't have had enough time to mess up the classroom."
"How could you possibly spend that amount of time watching the Slytherins?" asked Sebastian in disgust. "I couldn't possibly spend ten minutes with them."
"They aren't as bad as you think" Benedict replied. "Cannon actually invited me into the session proper, wanting advice as to who he should select as his players."
"You helped the Slytherin team?" bellowed Sebastian. "You better have given them bad advice."
"I helped Cannon the best that I could, because it was the most gentlemanly thing to do" Benedict explained. "The Slytherin team this year are really struggling for talent; they're the smallest house in terms of population, and barely any of the people who tried to get on the team are of the calibre of any other house."
"We're getting off topic here" James shouted. "If Gant has an alibi, then the person who trashed Thicknesse's classroom has to be a Gryffindor."
"Come on then" roared Dranzebar. "Own up to it, whoever you are."
"Nobody's going to admit it now you big git" Aoiffe argued. "If they were going to confess, they would have done it ages ago."
"We've got until Sunday for the Gryffindor Traitor to reveal themselves" James said.
"The Gryffindor Traitor?" Aoiffe said in disbelief.
"If somebody framed a fellow Gryffindor for a crime they committed; I'd call them disloyal to Gryffindor house" James explained.
"I'm with you all the way on that" Sebastian declared. "From now on, the guy or girl responsible for this, is the Traitor of Gryffindor."
"How… commemorative" sighed Benedict.
"In fact, I know who it is" Sebastian continued.
No one had much faith in Sebastian's accusations, considering that he had only just falsely accused Gant of the crime. Before saying anything however, Sebastian walked all the way to a far corner of the Common Room, where Jackson Lestrange was reading a book on his own.
"What is it?" he asked.
"You've been abnormally quiet" Sebastian noted. "You're usually boasting about how amazing you were in class."
"I've been trying my best not to do that" replied Jackson, and returned to his book.
"Are really telling me, that the great Lestrange has suddenly turned a new leaf?" Sebastian asked sarcastically.
"In fairness, I didn't hear him brag all week" said Nigel.
"Yeah, he was mainly just keeping himself to himself" added Aoiffe.
"That's not true change" Sebastian argued. "That's just you reacting to what other people have said. In reality you're nothing but a pure blood fanatic who only cares about their own success…"
"What on earth are you talking about" Jackson interrupted, not being able to understand any of Sebastian's nonsense.
"Do you have an alibi Jackson?" asked Benedict.
"Great, so even you are suspecting me?" Jackson scowled.
"I'm not suspecting you at all" Benedict told him. "But if you can provide us an alibi for where you were all afternoon, it would be a more effective way of deterring Sebastian's suspicions."
"Jackson is always escorted by prefects now" James realised. "He would've been seen by…"
"I don't have an alibi" Jackson moaned.
"What did you say?" Sebastian asked eagerly.
"I don't have an alibi" repeated Jackson. "I felt embarrassed being taken everywhere like a five year old, so I asked them to stop. I spent all afternoon exploring Hogwarts Grounds; I've barely seen any of it apart from a trip to Hagrid's."
"So nobody can verify where you were when the classroom was destroyed" Sebastian grinned.
"Please don't" begged Jackson.
"If you go and confess to Professor Longbottom now, I probably won't remember any of this by our first quiditch match" said Sebastian.
Jackson angrily slammed his book down on the table.
"What's the bloody point of not boasting so much, if I'm still going to be treated like trash anyway" he screamed. "Darren Crawford had no alibi, so James invented one for him; no suspicion. But when I don't have an alibi, I have to be the culprit, because my name's Lestrange."
He stormed out of the lounge area and up the stairs to his dormitory. James was certain that he saw Jackson wiping his eye on the way up.
"He is correct" Benedict pointed out.
"Oh please" muttered Sebastian. "You spent all day having a jolly with the Slytherins, and now you're defending Lestrange? He admitted himself that he didn't have an alibi."
"Which also means he can't be placed at the scene of the crime" Benedict elaborated. "Jackson is as innocent as everyone else, until proven otherwise."
"What are we going to do then?" James asked. "Nobody's going to confess."
"I have an idea" declared Benedict. "Someone pass me some parchment and a quill."
Violet gave him some spare parchment she was using whilst doing her homework. Darren allowed Benedict to keep his.
"Don't you have any more Darren?" James asked.
"Quills are way outdated" Darren replied. "I'll just stick to pens thanks."
"Here we go" said Benedict loudly, after he finished writing. "I am going to put this on the notice board."
He pinned the parchment at the front of the student notifications. Everyone gathered round to see what he had wrote. I AM THE TRAITOR OF GRYFFINDOR. IF THIS LETTER IS NO LONGER HERE, THEN IT MEANS THAT I HAVE CONFESSED MY CRIMES TO PROFESSOR LONGBOTTOM.
"What the hell is that supposed to accomplish?" snorted Sebastian.
"If anybody amongst you is the Traitor of Gryffindor and wishes to put things right; then merely remove this parchment on your way out" explained Benedict. "I will leave my invisibility cloak in my dormitory, if you don't wish to attract attention."
"I'm going to bed" Sebastian muttered. "Let's see how long it takes for your masterplan to work."
James decided to call it a night too. It wasn't particularly late, but the Traitor of Gryffindor business combined with spending all afternoon doing Transfiguration homework made him very tired. He wished his friends goodnight, then went back upstairs to his dormitory. Jackson was inside, burying his head in his pillows. James could hear him sniffling from behind the fabric.
"Are you ok?" James asked.
"Don't talk to me" ordered Jackson. "You defended Crawford because he was your friend."
"I didn't expect it to end like this" James explained.
"You don't need to expect anything but praise about your dad" muttered Jackson.
"I'm sorry" James apologised.
"It's only because I like Hagrid, that I'm going to forget all this nonsense when I wake up" Jackson added. "Goodnight."
James didn't reply back; he didn't expect Jackson to appreciate it. If tonight had taught him anything, it was that Hagrid was right. He liked Sebastian, but insinuating that Jackson was the Traitor of Gryffindor was based on bias. He really hoped that at some point in the near future, people would stop picking on Jackson because of his surname.
James was the first person awake from his dormitory on Saturday morning. All his roommates all looked like they have taken the most powerful sleeping potion; and didn't react at all when James accidently knocked over Nigel's card holder. After putting it back, and swearing under his breath, he dashed downstairs, and out of the Common Room.
The Great Hall was the liveliest it's been, since the sorting ceremony. Everyone on every house table was chatting away; some doing so with cereal still in their mouth.
"Abraham; don't eat with your mouthful" barked the head of Hufflepuff, Professor Lee.
James could guess exactly what the conversation entailed. Everyone was talking about the destruction of the Transfiguration classroom; and the Traitor of Gryffindor that was responsible. He noticed that most of the discussion on the Gryffindor table were people accusing one another of being the traitor.
"You definitely weren't in the Common Room at six o'clock" Patricia Muggs said accusingly to Victoire Weasley. "And you didn't come back until after that Crawford boy."
"I was doing my prefect duties" Victoire replied back. "You can ask Teddy; he's my alibi."
"You're going red Victoire" Sebastian noted. "Please don't say that you and Teddy were in this together."
"What's going on here?" Teddy Lupin upon hearing his name, rushed to the commotion immediately.
"I was just saying how we were doing our prefect duties together, whilst the Thicknesse stuff was going on" Victoire said unconvincingly.
"But we weren't doing any prefect stuff…" Teddy started, before catching himself out.
"Where were you then?" Sebastian asked suspiciously.
Teddy bent over and whispered in his ear. Sebastian in turn then spat out a large amount of cornflakes and milk, and just stared at Teddy.
"Bloody hell" he muttered. "And I thought you were supposed to be a goodie two shoes."
"I appreciate you not telling anyone" Teddy said dangerously.
He then left Sebastian, who was looking all the more perplexed.
"Teddy" James called over.
"James" Teddy said more cheerfully. "Nasty business, the Traitor of Gryffindor as you've called him."
"What exactly were you and Victoire doing last night?" James asked.
"That's none of your business" Teddy snapped.
They were interrupted by a loud screech, and the owls started flying down with the post. James wondered if his parents have sent him a letter; he hadn't received one from them yet. He was happy to see one of the owls land right beside him, but the letter wasn't for him, but for Teddy. Teddy took the letter and opened it.
"What is it about?" James asked.
Teddy collapsed onto the Gryffindor table. He buried his head in his arms. Alarmingly, James thought it looked very similar to Jackson Lestrange last night. Teddy was better at hiding his tears than Jackson, but James knew him long enough to know when he was upset. He grabbed the letter from Teddy's hand and read it.
Dear Edward Remus Lupin
As you are aware you are the current right holder to the Lestrange family vault. This right was granted to you for the following reasons. The Lestrange family are all either deceased, or imprisoned in Azkaban with no chance of release. The Lestrange family's closest relatives (the Malfoy family) have agreed to surrender their right to the vault, as just one part of their pardons. This has left you as the Lestrange family's next closest relative, and therefore received rights to the vault and all its contents.
However it has recently came to our attention that a student has recently been accepted into Hogwarts by the name of Jackson Lestrange. At the time of writing this letter, we have begun an investigation into the heritage of Jackson Lestrange in order to determine whether he is part of the wizarding Lestrange family, or if the surname is coincidental.
If our investigation concludes that Jackson Lestrange is part of the wizarding Lestrange family, then your rights to the Lestrange family vault will be revoked, and you may be required to pay back what was taken from the vault. Until the investigation has been completed however, you will not be able to make any withdraws.
Yours Sincerely
Gringotts Bank
"They can't be serious" screamed James.
"What's wrong?" Sebastian asked, having noticed that something was wrong.
James took Teddy's letter, and ran out of the Great Hall, and back to the Gryffindor Common Room. By the time he got there, most of his fellow first years including Jackson were just about to leave.
"You already had your breakfast?" gasped Darren. "That was quick."
"Jackson, we need to talk" James said sternly.
"What's there to talk about?" Jackson asked moodily.
"You need to slow down" Sebastian panted, having evidently chased after James after he left the Great Hall.
"Read this" James ordered, shoving the letter into Jackson's chest.
Jackson glared at James, then read the letter out aloud. To James' horror, when Jackson finished, he burst out into laughter.
"So I'm going to end up with a load of money; awesome" he said cheerfully. "How big is the Lestrange vault?"
"The Lestrange family was one of the richest in all of wizarding" answered Nigel. "It was said on Bellatrix's Famous Witches and Wizards card that all the money and treasures in that vault would make you one of the top one hundred richest people in the muggle world."
"No way" Jackson shrieked. "That is so cool."
"Have you not read that letter properly?" James demanded. "That was Teddy's vault."
"Key word being was" replied Jackson.
"You ungrateful swine" roared Sebastian "Teddy Lupin got all those prefects to protect you; and you're going to steal all his cash."
"Oh I get it. I'm connected to Bellatrix enough that I deserve to be bullied, but not connected enough to earn a right to any of her cash" Jackson replied. "I feel bad for Teddy that he's going to lose a lot of money, but if it's my vault, then it's my money."
"Well tough luck Lestrange; there's no chance you're going to get it" Sebastian taunted. "You need to be related to the wizarding Lestrange family, and you were brought up in an orphanage years after Bellatrix's death."
"That's not necessarily true" Benedict Falcon spoke out of nowhere.
Everyone turned to him. He was sitting in an armchair, a good few metres from where the conversation was taking place; reading a book titled The History of Magic in Fifteenth Century Andorra.
"I thought you hated conspiracy theories Falcon" argued Sebastian. "How can believe this kid is related to Bellatrix?"
"Have any of you read The Proven Truth About Muggle-Borns by Terry Boot?" Benedict replied.
"I don't read any books without pictures in outside of school" muttered Sebastian. "What has this book got to do with Jackson?"
"It explains how muggle-born wizards and witches come to be, despite their lack of magical parentage" answered Benedict. "It's all to do with the magical gene. This is a gene that muggle scientists are completely unaware of; but this gene dictates whether or not…"
"I didn't leave my family in London to come to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, just to be taught about my bloody genes again" shouted Darren.
James glanced at Jackson, and saw that he too seemed to turn off when the word gene was mentioned. James remembered being taught about the topic in his muggle primary school; and was very glad to see that it wasn't his wizarding background that made him think the topic was so boring.
"Fine" sighed Benedict. "Allow me to use laymen's term. When a squib has a child with a muggle, the child is probably going to be a muggle. When that child has more children, they will also likely be muggles. However the magical heritage isn't entirely lost, and there's a possibility that one day, one of the decedents gets the magic back."
"So I'm a descendent of a wizard?" gasped Darren.
"Correct" confirmed Benedict. "In your case though, Crawford is a muggle name. Whoever your wizarding ancestor is, their name has been lost through the generations. Lestrange however is a wizarding name. The most likely explanation for your existence Jackson, is that you are the descendent of a Lestrange male who was branded a squib; and that squib would go on to have many male children, until the magic reactivated in you."
"But I thought the only members of the Lestrange family left were Rodolphus and Rabastan" protested Sebastian.
"The Lestranges like many other historically pure blood families, erased any undesirable members from their family trees" argued Benedict.
"Now you're talking confusing stuff again" moaned Darren.
"My apologies" sighed Benedict. "Pure blood families liked to keep their family completely unrelated from muggles. They refused to accept that they shared any familial link towards anyone but pure blood wizards and witches. Therefore if anyone from their family is born a squib, or dares to not share their fanatical beliefs, the family would pretend that they did not exist."
"So would there be no way to prove I am a descendent then?" asked Jackson in a downhearted tone.
"I have a friend who works in Gringotts' Investigation of Wizarding Ancestors Department" replied Benedict. "She's muggle-born herself, and was able to track her squib ancestor down to 586 BC."
"So they can track my ancestors down" cheered Jackson.
"Yes" Benedict muttered. "You would be entitled the Lestrange family vault."
"Awesome" Jackson roared. "I never had more than twenty quid when I was at the orphanage. Now I'm going to be one of the richest kids on the planet."
He ran out of the Common Room, jumping up and down in a celebratory dance as he went.
"Him stealing Teddy's money is the happiest I've seen him" snarled James.
"I'll get the lads and make his clothes disappear in one of the corridors" snarled Sebastian.
"No" Benedict said firmly. "Even if I was to support such an idea, it would only make him more determined to take the most selfish course of action. I'll go and speak to him personally. I may able to solve this in a more peaceful manner."
Benedict got up from his seat, then left to follow Jackson.
"Me and Teddy had our issues, but he doesn't deserve to lose all his cash" Sebastian told James. "I knew the second Professor Lee called out his name, Lestrange would be nothing but trouble."
James didn't reply back. Hagrid had tried his best to halt the hostilities between himself and Jackson, and for a while they were working. But between the Traitor of Gryffindor, they have recommenced, and more dangerous than ever.