Episode Thirty Eight

            Another school term had begun and students were bustling up and down the corridors once again. Gwen hadn't heard back from her great-great-grandmother, but the beginning of term was rather uneventful. For now. She knew it was only a matter of time before Harry found some new way to get them in trouble and/or Malfoy started up on his tirade.

            Gwen had sent her owl to Graves. It was perhaps the hardest thing she had to do so far in her life. She kept having to re-write it and the wastebasket in the common room was filled with scraps of torn parchment and Gwen's scribbling. She started over close to fifty times before she found the words to explain her heart.

            It had been several days since the delivery of that letter. Gwen was sitting at the Gryffindor table for breakfast, joined by Hermione and Harry. Ron had decided to have a bit of a lie in. The ceiling of the hall was a hazy grey-blue almost as if the sky couldn't make up its mind on what color it wanted to be today.

            Malfoy and his cohorts entered, sneering at the three of them. "Oh, it's so good to see the Potty back together with his girlfriends." He cackled.

            Gwen whirled around on him, catching him completely off guard. "Would you care to press your luck Malfoy? I kicked your ass once, barehanded. I can kick it again and I don't need to hide behind a wand."

            Malfoy scowled at her and walked quickly away as Professor Snape came bustling by. Even though he was head of Slytherin house he wouldn't allow out and out brawling on school grounds. Malfoy would just have to bide his time until he could get her alone again.

            More students appeared and shortly the hall was filled with laughter and students practicing the spells they hadn't performed since the end of last term. Breakfast was well under way when the owl post arrived, dropping packages carefully into students' laps.

            Three letters arrived for Gwen all in the beak of one very tired looking owl. She ripped open the envelope of the first to discover a note from Gemma.

            "Dear Guenivere,

            I have not been able to contact the Stag King. I believe he is somewhere in Africa and somewhat occupied with a mound moving. I thought you'd be worried since I had not contacted you, but never fear, I will keep digging until I find something.

            Love,

            Gemma."

            She sighed. Gemma knew her well. She was beginning to worry. At least the fey were considerate. She sighed again and opened the second envelope. It contained a letter from Graves.

            "Gwen,

            Thank you for being honest with me. It is rare in these days to meet someone who does not lie, as you well know. I will always hold that place for you open in my heart. Please, consider me a close friend to whom you can tell your deepest secrets, fears, joys and tears. Take care until we meet again.

Yours,

            Graves."

            Gwen took a moment to appreciate the value of Graves' words. A tiny smile crept onto her face. It had been difficult telling someone she still loved very much that their relationship was false. He had beautifully eased that burden of thought. She turned to the third envelope.

            Contained within was a small piece of parchment with a black dot in the center. There was no name, or any other visible writing. Where had she seen something like this before? And then she thought of her experience in the dream world.

            Harry was looking curiously at it. "What's that?"

"Ever read Robert Louis Stevenson?" She asked.

"No." He replied.

"I have." Hermione chimed in. "Isn't that a death summons, the black spot?"

"Yes." Gwen said puzzled. "Used by pirates to tell another pirate that they were going to kill him."

"That's odd."

"Who would send you a death summons?" Harry asked.

"Malfoy's not smart enough to have thought of this. I dunno. It's strange. After all the visions and dreams about me nearly dying that I should receive this." She crumpled the little bit of parchment in her fist. "Well, there's no use worrying about it. At least I'm prepared. Besides, Snape'll kill me if I don't finish his potions homework."