"Ungrateful," said Melissa.
She was looking at Cedric Diggory, who sat on the other side of the library and was making an extremely pointed effort not to look at them. She sounded quite bitter.
"I mean, after all we did to help him," Melissa went on, "the least he could do was thank us."
Indeed, Cedric had neither spoken to nor acknowledged any of them since the second task. (He did, however, seem to be spending more time than ever with a certain black-haired Ravenclaw.) Beth supposed he felt guilty about having accepted their help, and was now avoiding them for fear that someone would find out about it.
"It doesn't matter," Richard insisted, without looking up from his textbook. Beth had finally cajoled him into spending some time preparing for the N.E.W.T.s. "I don't care if he doesn't even remember we did it. If he makes it through this alive, then we've succeeded. Just one task to go," he added.
"Thank goodness," said Melissa, lips pressed tightly together.
A soft flapping sound filled the air and a large, black-and-white eagle owl soared through the library to land on Richard's shoulder. Richard accepted the burden with only mild surprise. "I say, Nero. You're late." He tugged a piece of parchment from the owl's beak and stroked its flat head lightly. "Hush now, before Madame Pince has my head."
Indeed, the librarian was even now leaning over her desk with narrowed eyes.
Nero hooted irritably and buried his head in his wing.
Richard ruffled the owl's neck gently. "Ah, Nero," he sighed, as if the name alone told all. Then he took a look at the letter. His eyes widened, then lit up like a child's on Christmas day.
Beth peered over at it. "Who --?"
"It's from Riggs!" He tore into the letter eagerly. Almost instantly, his face fell and he slapped the letter back onto the table, leaning heavily back into his chair.
Beth reached over and gingerly picked up the letter. It contained one line:
"At least now he's writing back," said Beth, putting the letter back down.
Richard shrugged halfheartedly.
Beth sighed. When Richard got started on beating himself up, there was no stopping him. "You're doing everything you can," she told him, not expecting an answer.
"Not everything," said Richard. He heaved a sigh. "Come on, bloke, let's get you to the Owlery." He packed his things and left. Madame Pince kept her eye on him until she was sure that her books were safe from the claws of the owl.
The library thinned out quickly that evening. Soon it was down to Beth's group, Krum in his Korner, a couple of fourth-year Arithmancy students, Cedric Diggory, and a handful of Ravenclaws who were having a fast and furious argument in some ancient language. Krum left after the Arithmancy people cleared out, with a short nod of his head to Bruce. The Ravenclaws fought for half an hour before storming apart in different directions at five minutes to nine.
Madame Pince began dimming the lights. Cedric looked up quickly. He glanced around the library to be sure it was empty; then he stood up and made his way to the Slytherins.
He didn't look like he was coming over to thank them for their help.
Cedric stopped in front of their table and loomed there for a moment, a strange and tight look on his face. Then he spat out: "I knew you were up to something."
The three of them stared blankly up at him.
"What are you talking about?" said Beth carefully.
Cedric reached into his knapsack and threw a rolled-up parchment onto the table. "That," he said fiercely. It was the S.S.A. map of the lake. "I'll admit, you had me fooled. I was ready to believe that you were actually trying to help --"
"We were," said Melissa crossly.
"By giving me a fake map?" said Cedric, in angry disbelief. "I spent half an hour getting bloody lost at the bottom of the lake! Not only does it have North pointing in the wrong direction, it didn't mention the patch of Grindylows smack in the middle ... or the four acres of seaweed ... or the mountain range ... or the caves ... and I swear I saw a kelpie! Where's it say all that on the map?" He ran a hand through his hair. "I mean, I should've known ... you deal with a Slytherin, you get duped in the end ..."
"It's not our fault the map's wrong," said Bruce. "We're trying to keep you alive!"
"I wonder," said Diggory bitterly.
Bruce looked at him in baffled anger. Then, close-lipped, he slammed his textbook shut and stood up.
"Fine," he said in a hard voice, throwing his things into his bookbag. "Fine. Go ahead and get yourself killed. I'm not taking this." He swung his backpack onto his shoulder with such ferocity that two of his quills came loose and flew across the room. "Have fun with the third task. Don't look for me to help you with it."
"I don't need your help with it," Diggory said angrily. "I solved that riddle myself, in case you've forgotten, and it was me down there fighting off the grindylows. And I was able to find my own way to the merfolk despite your lousy map. And --" he raised his voice, because Bruce had turned his back to leave, "-- I got past that dragon by myself, too! Whatever happens this contest, I've done it fairly."
Bruce turned back around. "Good," he growled. "Now you can just go die fairly too."
He turned and stalked off.
Bruce "exchanged words" with Diggory again the next morning and came to breakfast looking irritated.
"He cancelled the Hufflepuff scrimmage," he told them bitterly. "I wanted to see what he was going to do with his defensive side -- they lost the Keeper and a Beater last year, and part of their reserve team is out on injury."
"He's just afraid he'll get trounced," said Aaron Pucey gleefully. "Can't wait to show him up next season. You going to Hogsmeade this weekend, Bletchley?"
"Yeah, but not with you," said Bruce.
Aaron's face fell. "That's what Warrington said too. You couple types are a pain, you know that?"
"You could go with Blaise," Beth said, ignoring the face that Aaron made at the suggestion. She turned to Maria-Regina. "Is Karkaroff going to let you all go to Hogsmeade this time? It's the last trip, and Viktor doesn't have to get ready for another task for awhile ..."
"No," sighed Maria-Regina.
"Even if it meant getting Josef out of his hair for the day?" Beth asked wryly.
"Not if t'ere's a chance Josef might haff fun," Andrei said gloomily.
"Oy, Beth!"
Richard came bustling over from the prefects' table.
Beth grinned. "Yes?"
Richard leaned his elbows on the back of an empty chair. "I'm going to meet somebody in Hogsmeade. Want to come along?"
"Sure!" said Beth. "Who is it?"
"Great. I'll see you in the Entrance Hall on Saturday and we'll catch a coach together. All right?"
"Yeah, but who ..."
"See you then!" Richard strode away cheerily.
Melissa, running late by the looks of things, came just in time to see Richard stroll back to the prefects' table. She slid in beside Beth, eyes alight.
"Had a visitor, have we?"
Beth described the plan as briefly as she could. As she had expected, Melissa was very excited about it.
"Just you two?"
"Yes."
Melissa squealed delightedly. "It knew it! It's a date!"
"It might be," said Beth wryly, "if we weren't going to meet a third party once we were there."
Melissa looked deflated. She rallied herself quickly. "Well, who is it?"
Beth shrugged. "He didn't say. You know Rich, he loves his surprises."
"Maybe whoever-it-is won't get there right away," said Melissa hopefully. "You'll have a bit of time alone."
"You know," said Beth, suddenly cross, "maybe I don't want a bit of time alone. Maybe I don't want him to like me at all."
Melissa gave her a look that was suspiciously like pity. "And maybe," she said, "you should learn to control that blushing."
She began packing up her books victoriously, and Beth blushed even deeper.
Melissa took it upon herself to fully prepare Beth for the trip to Hogsmeade.
"If he pays for your drink, it's a date," Melissa said, in a completely factual tone. "That's the Great Indicator. Let him place the order and decide for himself."
"It's not a date," said Beth, through gritted teeth.
"We'll see about that," smirked Melissa.
On the day of the trip, Melissa picked out Beth's wardrobe, insisted on dabbing on some makeup, and made sure she brushed her teeth before the coaches left. Beth started to get nervous despite herself.
"And don't act too desperate," said Melissa, just as Beth was getting up from the breakfast table to meet Richard out at the coaches.
"I won't," said Beth, pulling on her cloak.
Melissa looked her up and down. "On second thought, a little desperation might do you good."
"Go away," said Beth, and left.
They didn't talk much on the coach ride to Hogsmeade. Richard was uncommonly quiet, and Beth couldn't think of anything to say that wasn't repetitive or inane. She was relieved when they pulled into Hogsmeade station, got out, and headed for the Three Broomsticks.
Richard ordered a pair of butterbeers at the bar. Madame Rosmerta tossed him a wink and gave him the second butterbeer for free, at which Richard blushed pink and Beth blushed scarlet. o much for the Great Indicator, Beth thought, as they took seats at a small table along the near wall.
They chatted about the professors and their classes for a while. Eventually the talk turned to mutual acquaintances: Diggory, the Durmstrangers, and so forth. Richard was pointing out some of his classmates across the room when he paused and took a second look at a table in the back.
"I say!" he said, with interest. "Who's the little cutie beside Bruce?"
Beth turned around; she hadn't even known that Bruce was in the tavern. "That's Kiesha, the girl he took to the Yule Ball."
"Oh yes, the Ravenclaw," said Richard. He sighed. "Another dead end on the search for the Ledger, as I recall."
"She's very nice," said Beth, a little defensively.
"I imagine so," said Richard vaguely.
Beth turned back to Richard. "You know, you never did tell me why we're here."
Richard grinned. "You'll soon see. In the meantime, let me tell you how I came up with the idea."
"Idea ...?" said Beth, hoping to lead him into further explanation.
"I knew we needed a new headquarters," said Richard. "And I thought and thought of where we could have it ... the common room, one of the unused classrooms, the prefects' lounge, even Dumbledore's office ..."
Beth giggled. "He would've loved that."
"He wouldn't have minded," said Richard assuredly. "Then I realized: we've already got a place, ready-made and completely empty! All we had to do was call him in and get inside, then we could fix the lock so that all of us could get in whenever we wanted."
"I don't think I understand," said Beth slowly.
Richard grinned -- that familiar, proud, infuriating I-know-a-secret grin. "Just wait 'til you see who we're meeting."
"Who --" she began, but just then a burly, brown-haired young man came up and clapped a hand on Richard's shoulder.
"Rich! Beth, good to see you!"
It was Daedalus Dellinger. They both stood up to greet him: Richard shook his hand joyously and Beth gave him a big hug.
"Dell, how are you!" She remembered something. "Congratulations on your engagement!"
Daedalus smiled lopsidedly. "Thanks."
"So how did you do it?" Beth pressed.
"How did I ... ask the question, you mean?" said Daedalus. "I just sort of handed her the ring. She didn't seem to mind," he added hopefully.
Richard patted him on the shoulder. "I'm sure she didn't," he laughed, "but I imagine you could've been a bit more romantic about it."
"Funny," said Dell, "that's what she said too."
They strolled outside, where they could speak more quietly and there were fewer people who might overhear. They talked about the Triwizard Tournament, and getting to know the Durmstrangers; Daedalus told them about his job writing copy for Transfiguration Today. "I'm only just doing research and things," he said, "but there's a part-time job as a staff journalist opening up, and I've already wiped three guys out of the running." He smiled shyly. "So long as nobody backstabs me, I think I'm a shoe-in."
He said all this with a perfectly casual, almost shy demeanor.
"How long until you're the editor?" Beth teased.
"Sixteen years," said Daedalus, "provided the old fellow doesn't die too early and Jones retires when he says he will."
Richard whistled. "Ambitious of you."
Daedalus shrugged and grinned. "Anything is possible if you have a plan. Oh I say, it's Miss Skeeter." He turned and waved. Across the street, the reporter, followed closely by her photographer, waved back and flashed Richard a knowing smile before disappearing into the Three Broomsticks.
Richard narrowed his eyes. "You know that beastly woman?"
"Sure," said Dell, surprised at Richard's reaction. "She does freelance work for Transfig Today. Knows quite a fair bit about human transfiguration, that woman. She's brighter than she looks."
"She's unregistered," said Richard bluntly.
"Oh," said Daedalus. "Well, who isn't."
Beth stifled a laugh. "Me. Rich. The rest of Hogwarts."
"Don't count on it," Daedalus snorted. "Only nine Animagi this whole century? In all of Britain? I mean, it's ridiculous when you think about it. I'd bank on at least two of my coworkers being undercover -- and once, I actually did a piece about unregistered Animagi, and ended up interviewing a talking tortoise that bore an uncanny resemblance to our Head of Marketing."
Suddenly Beth realized the plan; in fact, she felt a bit silly for not having caught on earlier. There was only one thing that Dell could do that no other Society member could accomplish. "You're going to reopen the Chamber of Secrets!" she cried. "Rich, that's brilliant!"
"I know," said Richard proudly. "Soon as we've fixed up the lock to open with our rings instead of Parseltongue, it's right there and ready for us. How long do you have off work, Dell?"
"Just Monday and Tuesday," Daedalus told them. "That should be long enough to fix the door. After that, mate, you're on your own." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "I'm starved. Up for lunch?"
They were all hungry, so Daedalus led them up to the Grinning Goose. The small restaurant was more crowded than the last time Beth had been there, but they squeezed around a small table and ordered up a plate of appetizers, as it was obvious the wait would be long.
Richard, a socialite by nature, was hungry for news from the outside.
"So what's the good word?" he asked, munching on pickles from the appetizer platter. "Sirius Black been caught yet?"
Daedalus laughed and reached for another appetizer. Between the two of them, they were polishing off the tray easily without Beth's help. "Sirius Black's old news. Now it's a Ministry worker they can't find."
Richard nodded. "Bertha Jorkins, right. Saw her photo in the Prophet last week."
"She's been gone since August," said Daedalus. "They're only just now really trying after her." He shrugged. "It's bad for her, but honestly the department doesn't seem to be missing her."
Beth helped herself to some carrot sticks. "What's Vivian doing these days?"
"Working in a bookshop south of London. She hates it, she'd like to be doing charms somewhere ... I say! That was fast!"
The motherly waitress whisked aside the empty platter and dished out three steaming plates of fish and chips.
The meal was pleasant. So was the conversation; they stayed in the restaurant, sipping coffee and chatting about old times and new experiences until long after the lunch crowd had thinned out. Daedalus was deeply curious about the happenings at Hogwarts the previous year -- very little of it had been leaked to the press, just a few rumors about Sirius Black and a werewolf, enough to whet the appetite. Richard enthusiastically filled him in, with Beth offering a detail once in a while, and then went on (in a quieter voice) about the Society's role in it. Daedalus was impressed that they had succeeded in breaking into Azkaban, but not jealous.
"Awful things, Dementors," he said, shivering unconsciously. "You couldn't pay me to go near one -- and I've only seen them in passing."
Finally Richard stretched and looked at his watch. "It's about time to catch the coaches back," he told them, with a faint air of surprise. "Come on, Dell. Don't forget your things."
Daedalus slung his rucksack over his shoulder and they left, waving a cheery farewell to the waitress.
The sun had nearly set by now; the roofs of Hogsmeade stood out against a dark blue skyline. The streets still bustled with shoppers.
Suddenly Richard stopped, with a sharp intake of breath, and clutched Beth's sleeve. "Look," he said breathlessly.
Beth followed his gaze into the crowd. There were students she knew, even a teacher or two, and some adult wizards as well ...
"Riggs," said Daedalus.
Richard's cheeks were flushed. "I've got to talk to him." He started towards him.
At that moment Randall Riggs turned and caught sight of them. His narrow face went pale; his eyes glinted behind the horn-rimmed glasses.
Richard held up a hand and called Riggs's name, moving forward.
Riggs ducked his head. He turned and took a few quick steps toward the crowd. Then he vanished into thin air.
Richard swore aloud. He turned back to Dell and Beth in deep disappointment.
"It's not you, Rich," said Daedalus bracingly. "He's avoiding all of us. Vivian met him in London over Christmas, and he just mumbled hello and hurried away."
"I think I've failed him," said Richard quietly.
There was a short pause. "I thought he was in Suffolk," said Beth. "What's he doing in Hogsmeade?"
"That," said Richard, gazing with narrowed eyes at the spot where Riggs had vanished, "is what I'd like to know."
