All around the Vase Room, students read, lounged, and worked. They all seemed to be older than Beth, and they looked a lot smarter. A girl with long brown hair looked up at the group and smiled. "Daedalus, wake up, it's Rich with the newbies," she said, nudging a burly boy asleep on a nearby divan. Daedalus snorted and stirred.
"Oh, h'llo," he murmured sleepily.
Melissa was looking around in sheer awe. "Ooh, it's gorgeous," she breathed.
"Yeah," Bruce seconded, gazing into the deep blue finish of the vase next to him.
Mervin, the redhead, didn't seem to be especially taken by the furnishings. Instead, he eyed the boys and girls with deep suspicion. "Who are you people?"
Richard smiled, both smug and excited. "You are about to join a secret club designed to bring glory to its members and the Slytherin House. We've won the House Cup innumerable times because of this organization. In our fifty-one year history, we've had one hundred and twenty-two excellent members. Our goal is to prove that the Slytherin ambition isn't a weakness, it's a strength, and we accomplish that by striving for excellence and collecting secrets. We are called the Society for Slytherin Advancement. Our motto is 'gloria serpens': for the honor of the snake. I'll be serving as President this year."
That's where the SSA came from, Beth thought.
"What catch?" demanded Mervin.
Richard shared a glance with Riggs. "Extra work," he admitted. "And a lifetime commitment to the members and the house. But I can promise that you'll gain far more than you give."
Beth thought that sounded fishy, but she held her tongue.
Riggs moved to the front of the small group. "Randall Riggs," he said, bowing quaintly at the third-years. "I serve as recorder for the S.S.A. If you'll follow me, we can get your names in the Ledger."
The group of third-years followed Riggs across the room. In one corner stood a tall podium, like a preacher's pulpit, upon which lay a thick and decrepit book. Its cloth cover was tattered, and the pages were browned on the edge from age. Riggs went around to one side of it and opened the book carefully.
"New entries," he said clearly.
The pages of the book, thick with ink, started flipping themselves. Beth couldn't even imagine the information that was contained in so many of those pages, written in such tiny script. Every once in a while, a gust of air would come from one of the pages, making a little cloud of dust spout from the Ledger. The book shuddered and lay still when it came to a pair of blank pages, two-thirds from the beginning.
Riggs adjusted his wire-rimmed glasses on his nose and picked up an enormous snowy-owl quill. "Let's see, we'll need names and ages from all of you. Alphabetical order, please."
There was a pause as the four tried to sort themselves alphabetically. Bruce raised a timid hand.
"S'me. Bletchley, Bruce Bletchley. Just turned fourteen."
Riggs entered the information painstakingly. "Hmm, appears to be the first Bletchley in the records. Next?"
Mervin looked like he was fending off a severe attack of disbelief. "Mervin Fletcher, thirteen," he said, almost painfully.
"Third Fletcher in the Ledger," Riggs said blandly. He chuckled suddenly. "That rhymed. Next?"
"Melissa Ollivander, thirteen," Melissa spoke up eagerly. "I'll bet this has connections with some of the greatest wizards of our time -- will we meet any former members, I mean, alumni?"
"Later on," Richard said, looking pleased. "You'll never fail to tell a former Snake, that's for certain."
"Next," Riggs broke in carelessly. "And that's the second Ollivander, if anyone is listening to me."
No one was except for Beth. "Elizabeth Parson, thirteen," she said.
"Excellent. Second Parson in the records." Riggs closed the book and clapped his hands satisfactorily. "Now -- the rings!"
On the other side of the room, the girl with the long brown hair was nudging the burly boy again. "Daedalus, get up, they need the rings now."
Daedalus snorted sleepily and sat up. Fumbling in the pocket of his cloak, he produced a small cardboard box. Richard went to him and beckoned for the new members to follow.
"He's stayed up every night this week finishing them," the long-haired girl told Richard. Daedalus proved it with a long yawn. He opened the box and dumped the contents into his hand.
Nothing came out.
Neither Richard nor the long-haired girl seemed to notice that Daedalus had poured thin air into his palm. Instead, Richard said, "Go on, Vivian, give them out," in an excited tone.
The long-haired girl reached into Daedalus' palm. Her fingers seemed to close on something, but no matter how hard Beth looked she couldn't make anything out. "Come here, give me your hand," Vivian said cheerfully to Melissa, who was closest. Melissa held it out warily.
Vivian mimed putting a ring Melissa's on her third finger. Melissa's eyes widened suddenly. "Ooh," she said again, and looked hard at her own hand. "And you all --"
"Here," Vivian said, and before she knew it, the long-haired girl had grabbed hold of Beth's hand and slid her fingers over it.
As Beth watched, a pewter ring materialized on the third finger of her right hand. Its silver-colored surface was softly burnished. The band was plain, but a decorative crest at the top showed two intertwining snakes around a lighted wand. She looked over at Melissa -- she was wearing the same thing and gazing around as if she had been given whole new eyes. In fact, Beth realized, Vivian had a ring as well. So did Daedalus and Richard. And Mervin and Bruce --
Richard interrupted her thoughts. "Very complex charm," he announced proudly. "You can only see them if you're wearing them. Clever way to tell us apart, eh? Invented by our founder."
"Who was that?" Melissa asked, eyes aglow.
"Riddle, Tom Riddle," Richard replied. There was a note of reverence in his tone. "Incredible. Figured the whole thing out. He even did most of the work on the Ledger, our most valuable tool."
Mervin glanced back at the Ledger suspiciously. "Why, what's it do?"
Richard smiled knowingly, which infuriated Beth because he'd been doing it so much. "I'll show you." He went over to the Ledger, leaned over it, and said clearly, "Mervin Fletcher."
The book sprung into action. Pages whirled. When they came to a rest, Richard ran his gaze over the words. "Aha! Here, see for yourself."
All four of the new members peered at the text. It read:
Mervin gaped at his profile. "How does it --"
Richard frowned and shook his head. "Too complex for me, chappie. I haven't been able to unravel it yet, and I spent all last year on it. Riddle was a genius, as far as I can tell, and he's especially good at bewitching books. It's in his entry." Richard leaned forward again.
"Tom Riddle."
The pages swung over until they reached the R's. "Here you go," said Richard proudly.
"Same make of wand as You-Know-Who," Melissa said under her breath. "My uncle stopped manufacturing the yew-and-phoenix type ten years ago."
Bruce was still looking at Mervin with some measure of astonishment. "You like the Winbourne Wasps? You're crazy!"
Mervin ignored him. "Chamber of Secrets?" he said quizzically.
Richard waved away the question. "Another story for another year. We owe Riddle a huge debt in the creation of the S.S.A. He's responsible for what we've become -- and largely, for what we've got."
"Did he create the Vase Room?" asked Melissa, looking around at the brilliant pottery.
"We don't think so," Richard said with a shake of his head, "and unfortunately it's too late to ask him. Any more questions before we start the business meeting?" Across the room, Vivian rolled her eyes and nudged Daedalus on the shoulder, who had fallen asleep again.
Beth thought of a question. "Does Dumbledore know about this?"
Richard shrugged. "He's never stopped us."
Riggs strode to the front of the room and cleared his throat. The S.S.A. members gathered around him, seated on cushions, vases, and the floor. "The first meeting of the new year of the S.S.A will now come to order. The reading of the minutes will be dispensed with. Is there any old business?"
No one spoke.
"New business?"
Richard rose to his feet. "I'd like to welcome this year's new members: Melissa, Mervin, Bruce, and Beth," he announced, pointing out each person in turn. To the third-years, he said, "Let me make introductions. You know Riggs and I. These are Uther Montague, Vivian Sicklewise, and Daedalus Dellinger. Jerome Marx is also a member, but he can't attend for a few weeks since he has to look out for the firsties -- prefect this year. You'll know each other well by the end of the year." He turned back to the former members. "These students have a lot to offer. Bruce is an excellent Quidditch Keeper, and I'm sure he'll do the team proud. Even his classmates don't know this: Bruce speaks over twenty languages."
Bruce flushed bright red. "How did you --"
"We've spent two years spying on you chaps," Richard boasted. "Melissa is a top student. She also has another talent, which she shares with her uncle: a photographic memory."
Melissa gasped, as if the revelation of her ability was embarrassing.
"Mervin's lived on a farm his whole life. Not only is he a quick draw at the wand with strong magical instincts, but he's got a tremendous understanding of magical creatures."
Mervin bit his lip.
"Beth's game is Potions, and she's got the makings of an excellent alchemist. No one knows this but us and her, but she spent all of last year perfecting eyedrops that can make you see in the dark."
The group murmured appreciatively. Beth felt like her deepest secrets had been uncovered: She was sure that no one had seen her mixing that potion in the dead of night, sometimes at her bedside dresser, sometimes at the fire in the common room. The only comfort was that the other three new members were equally exposed.
"New members should be reminded that anything that is said in the Vase Room is strictly confidential," Richard continued. "It's a secret society and we intend to keep it so. Melissa found that out the hard way."
Melissa's jaw dropped. "You cursed me?" she practically screeched. "Of all the -- I never --"
"You were warned not to write or speak of it," Richard interrupted pointedly. "I couldn't have stopped it anyway -- the curse is automatic once it's set in place."
Sulkily, Melissa crossed her arms but stopped arguing.
Riggs cleared his throat again. "Two items from the start-of-term feast deserve attention," he announced fussily. "First, Headmaster Dumbledore's speech was odder than usual. To quote: 'Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!'"
The older members murmured appreciatively.
"I thought he was acting barmy just to impress the first-years," Bruce hissed in Beth's ear. She shrugged.
"Everyone be thinking about the secret meaning in his words," Riggs continued. "Also: if the third-floor corridor is off limits, then it is certainly the job of the S.S.A to find out why. Next week we'll be preparing an expedition to have a look inside. We'll take volunteers then. Meanwhile, try to catch hints from the professors. They always know more than they tell, but they can't always keep a secret."
"That reminds me," Vivian broke in suddenly. "I ran into Flitwick over the summer. He let it slide that there are plans for the Tri-Wizard tournament to be revived in a few years."
There was a general murmur of interest. Looking impressed, Riggs nodded his assent. "Let's keep tabs on that, then. Specifically, who, where, and when."
Beth followed his words only with vague comprehension. This was beginning to sound like a far more complex organization than it first seemed.
"Daedalus, how's your project coming?"
The burly boy squirmed uncomfortably. "Spent all summer doing research. I've only ever gotten halfway. It's going to be a long haul. Give me a few more months."
"That's no problem," Richard interjected quickly. "It's bound to take a long time. Very complex, you know."
Daedalus looked extremely frustrated just then. "I know."
"What's he working on?" asked Melissa.
"I'll let you know when I've finished," Daedalus said, flushing an unexpected red.
"Quidditch trials are next week," Uther reported. "Marcus Flint is the captain again this year, he's a Chaser. Terry Higgs ought to be returning as Seeker, although we'll give anyone a try. Adrian Pucey's likely to get on as a Chaser, and I think I'll be returning as the same." He grinned in a way that was not at all humble. "We need a Keeper and both Beaters, since Shepp graduated and Ace Arendt transferred to Durmstrang."
"I got a letter from his sister Gypsy," Vivian added. "She hates the weather but loves classes; they really learn about the Dark Arts up there, you know. They both promised to keep us updated on what's going on around there."
"The Arendts were in the SSA," Richard said for the benefit of the newcomers. "Ace would've been in his last year, Gypsy was in my class. We usually take two members per year, but we could let all of you in since we needed to make up for them. It's an even ten."
Mervin looked around at the other third-years as if wondering which of them would have been chosen if only two could have been selected. Beth, who was suddenly feeling very tired, found that she didn't care.
Daedalus, too, was nodding off periodically. He jerked himself awake at another nudge from Vivian. "I move to adjourn," he said woozily.
"Second," chipped in Uther. "Can't have us worn out to start class, eh?"
Riggs looked at Richard, who shrugged. "All right then, meeting adjourned. We meet at this time every Thursday night. Attendance mandatory except in emergency."
"And keep your eyes and ears open," Richard interjected enthusiastically. "Remember gloria serpens. We can and will learn the secrets of the castle. This is going to be an outstanding year in the Society's history. I can feel it."