Chapter Twenty-Four

The Musketeers Reunited

It wasn't long after Corey had opened his package from Doug at Christmas that he knew he wanted to see him. Writing some hurried notes courtesy of Ratfly, he quickly arranged meeting up with the whole gang at Aviation Park that next weekend. Essie was happy to come along; she had gotten her first broom from Aunt Jennifer and Uncle Severus and wanted to try it out on a real Quidditch Pitch, wondering if she'd ever even have the nerve to actually try to play a game.

With new brooms in hand they entered the floo, and before Essie knew it, she was stepping into a small corner gift shop which sold odd trinkets of airplanes and model airplanes and hats with airplanes and postcards with airplanes, along with an assortment of Quidditch supplies, balls, and books. Waving at the shop attendant who smiled and waved back, the two of them stepped outside and Essie found herself in a huge airplane hanger. It had been completely gutted, reinforced, and turned into a narrow but playable Quidditch Pitch, filled with kids from all over the area. Some hardly older then seven or eight were there, dragging their brooms behind them.

"I thought students weren't allowed to learn magic until they entered secondary school," Essie whispered as they headed to the pitch.

"Well, riding a broom isn't exactly like using magic yourself, the broom's doing it. In magic families, they don't just throw out everything in the house that does magic just because they have a child, after all," Corey grinned at her. "Actually, I hear they run a summer league here for the smaller kids, but I wouldn't want to hold a serious game here; you are limited to how high you can go and sometimes the Bludgers ricochet off the hanger, so if you're a Beater like me you don't want to hit them as hard as you really need to at times." Corey waved and called out to where he saw Doug, Taylor, and Danny, the three of them waving back as they came near. His eyes focused on Doug, who stepped a bit away from the others as they came near, awkwardly offering his hand in a truce. "Thanks for the sparring glove," Corey said warmly, taking it.

"Thanks for the glove you gave me too," Doug said sheepishly. "Look, about what I said…"
"Let's just forget it," Corey suggested. Doug nodded slightly. "It really hasn't been the same without you around, Porthos."

"Yeah, but I needed to figure out some things on my own, and I guess… I guess I took that out on you, and I shouldn't have, really. Although I was furious at you for leaving the penalty box."

"If you only knew what really happened…"

"Actually, I did. Danny told me not long after. I guess I just wasn't ready to listen. That and I didn't want to admit you could do something else I couldn't."

"Oh, come on Doug, you've got a lot going for you…" Corey started, but Doug cut him off.

"I still need to figure out what my goal in life is, so I'd hold off on that for now," Doug said.

"What about your goal of dating every girl in our year at least once before you get out of school?" Corey asked.

"Well, yeah, there's still that, but I meant something bigger," Doug grinned, turning to walk back to the others.

"Dating every girl in school not in your year?" Essie suggested. Corey chuckled at her.

"No, that'd include you, and if Doug ever tried that, I'd kill him," he grinned at Doug good-naturedly. Essie winced slightly and then smiled when they looked back, knowing that was probably true.

"Well, you couldn't get a date with my sister if you tried, so I'm safe from that problem," Doug teased him back.

"Corey!" Danny said, growing impatient. She was holding a paper in her hands and waving him over to where they sat on the edge of the stands. "Hi Doug! Did your parents let you keep the mouse?"

"Er, well, you see, I couldn't find it when I left for the holidays," Doug admitted. "I'm sure he'll be alright. Whiskers is pretty smart, you know."

"No wonder your parents won't let you have a familiar," Taylor said. Doug made a face at him.

"Did you have a good Christmas?" Corey asked.

"It was okay," Danny shrugged. "Holidays have been always been tedious for me. But I did have fun going to Taylor's for dinner to meet his parents."

"Having fun? Meeting the parents?" Doug said with an almost horrified look on his face. "Are you two getting that serious?"

"Apparently not serious enough for Taylor to tell them who my uncle is," Danny ribbed him.

"Let them get to know you better first," Taylor advised with a grin. "So are you going to ask him or not?"

"Ask who what?" Corey asked.

"Have you heard anything about Harry going after the Lia Fál yet?" Danny said, showing him the Daily Prophet. Corey gazed at the headline that read; Stone of Destiny Recovered by Legendary Auror.


According to an eyewitness reporter, the Lia Fáil, also known as the Stone of Destiny, was recovered by Harry Potter from an undisclosed location. The stone was then verified as legitimate by Professor Dumbledore of Hogwarts and was then moved for safety reasons.


"I should have known Ron would have gotten it in the paper right off the bat," Corey grinned. "He went with him, you know."

"Where, exactly? Do you know?" Danny asked.

"Sure, Harry came and saw Dad right afterwards, I was in the lab helping him with some stuff," Corey said, glancing around. "Come on, let's sit up here so no one can hear us. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't want this spread around," Corey explained, heading up into the stands. They then settled in some seats near the top, Corey stopping to glance at something in his pocket before he turned back to them. "All right, you know Aunt Anna's Aunt Viviane, right? The tall woman all the ghosts were bowing to at Halloween?"

"Yeah, the one I said was acting suspicious," Taylor nodded.

"Well, it seems she's a few generations removed. Like several hundred," Corey said in an excited whisper. "She's not just Viviane, she's the one and only Viviane. That's why all the ghosts and paintings act goofy around her and why she pretty much comes and goes as she likes and all that. She is the Lady of the Lake."

"You are putting us on," Doug said incredulously.

"Well, if you don't believe that, you sure aren't gonna believe where they went to get the Stone then," Corey grinned at him. "Because apparently she hid it in the Crystal Cave itself, and Harry and Ron had to go in and get it."

"But that's impossible! I mean, I thought when you went into that cave you never came out again," Taylor said.

"You never come out again unchanged," Corey corrected, looking ominous. "They wouldn't talk about what happened in there in front of me, I got shooed out of the room. But whatever it was, I think they were changed somehow, they both looked almost, well, haunted."

"I wonder what happened in there," Danny said thoughtfully.

"Maybe I'll ask Mom. Sometimes if I can't get a straight answer from Dad, I have better luck with her," Corey grinned. "The important thing now is that all four parts have been found, so maybe they can fix all the odd stuff that's been happening lately."

"Maybe that's why all the spells stopped failing," Taylor said brightly. "Maybe just having them together is helping things."

"But the spells stopped going haywire about the same time we went on holiday. This article says they found the stone on Boxing Day," Danny pointed out. "Maybe it's not a matter of something fixing it so much as something is actively causing it, and whatever is actively causing it stopped."

"But what? What could cause something on such a scale?" Essie asked. Corey looked thoughtful.

"I don't know, but I know who to ask," he said at last. "The problem is finding an opportunity."


But Corey realized that opportunity wasn't going to come right away. Before long they were gathering their books and brooms and heading back to school. Corey became preoccupied with catching up with the other classmates and planning Quidditch and sparring strategies, and everything that didn't involve schoolwork.

Essie, however, had spent an unusual amount of time over the holidays studying and was quite ready to get down to business. But as prepared as she was, she couldn't be more unprepared when she and Angela walked into the Potion Lab and found Professor Snape sitting at the desk, huddled over some papers. He squinted at some of the notes with a scowl and shook his head, ignoring the incoming students completely.

"Is something wrong? Is Professor Craw alright?" Essie asked concernedly.

"Doctor Sagittari has recommended that she stay away from harsh chemicals for a while, so I'll be taking over here for the rest of the term," Snape replied, not even looking up. "She in turn will be teaching Defense. Now stop gawking at me and take your seat."

Essie slowly sat down, trying to figure out whether this unexpected change was good or bad. Neither class was anything she was particularly good at, but she had survived Potions up until that point on Craw's patience and the idea of losing that wasn't particularly comforting.

"Talked her into sitting up front in this class as well, did you?" he asked in a low voice, and Essie looked up to see his eyes fixed on her. She grinned sheepishly, not really having an answer for that, but it was obvious he didn't expect one as he stood and looked over the class.

"As you can see there's been a slight change to the schedule this year. However, I have detailed information on your class coverage and individual progress, and I also have a working knowledge of whose had trouble keeping up and who hasn't," Snape said. Essie blushed slightly, even though he hadn't looked in her direction. "For the most part, I will be following Craw's agenda. But there are some areas in this field that I am particularly knowledgeable about that she isn't, and it was agreed that I would also be instructing you on some of these areas as well. And first and foremost, for the benefit of my own sanity and not yours, I am going to be teaching you about lab and potion organization. I want everyone who has a kit to get it out and open it, then remove all hands and fingers from the tables until I give you leave to do so," he said, a warning tone in his voice. Essie saw her cringe reflected on the faces of many of the other students as they opened their kits. This was not going to go well.


After a hurried dinner, Corey, Taylor, Danny, and Doug ran up the back stairs and into the classroom where Bedivere O'Laren's painting hung. Corey had often wondered why he was in there, for he would have thought that the quiet room would get boring after awhile with only a single book painted in his hand to keep him company. But today, Caprica was there as if expecting them, greeting them with a warm wave and smile when they entered.

"Did you hear about the Stone of Destiny?" Corey asked immediately. Bedivere looked up from his book with interest.

"Of course, Corey, dear," she chuckled. "How could I have missed it, what with all the fuss it caused."

"Great deeds often bring great scrutiny," Bedivere acknowledged with a nod. "From both friend and foe."

"Yes, but don't worry," Caprica said with a smile. "Dumbledore is a wise man, and he found a safe place for it, safer even than Hogwarts."

"There's somewhere safer than Hogwarts?" Danny asked.

"Yes, at least for right now," Caprica said, her thoughtful look almost sad for a moment. "But what's important is that despite the impish efforts of others, all of the artifacts are now safe and sound."

"Whiskers!" The others turned around as Doug suddenly scooped up the small mouse in his hand, petting it gently. "There you are! I was afraid you were gone forever!"

"Are you sure that's even the same mouse?" Taylor asked.

"Of course it's the same mouse!" Doug glared at him. "See how he looks at me? I think he missed me."

"Ah yes, there is no such thing as too small a friend, for even the smallest of stature can make a difference in a friend's life," Bedivere smiled.

"And even the greatest of men are nothing without them," Caprica added. "Speaking of which, I wonder where Icarus is?"

"I believe he went to the library, or perhaps he heard that Dumbledore is expecting Viviane," Bedivere said.

"Lady Viviane's here?" Corey said with interest. "I wonder if I can get to talk to her."

"Why would you want to talk to her, Corey?" Caprica asked curiously.

"Well, we were wondering about the Crystal Cave, you know, about what happens to regular people there," Corey said.

"It is not something she is likely to speak of," Bedivere told him with a gentle smile and a shake of the head. "In fact, I doubt anyone who witnesses the cave for themselves would be willing to speak of it. It is quite a private matter, you know."

"In what way?" Danny asked.

"The crystal in that cave has strange powers. It can show those who look in them deep into themselves… their desires, their fears, the future, the past, their innermost truths and their innermost lies," Caprica explained solemnly.

"Innermost lies?" Taylor asked. "We have those?"

"Without them we'd have no sense of reality," Bedivere explained calmly. But that made Corey even more confused. "In the caves, reality itself could be said to be questioned, for those that look in the crystal are faced with that and more, and often can not tell the difference between them. One cannot expect to look at what lies beneath one's own skin and not be changed forever."

"I wonder if the Mirror of Erised was made out of crystal from there," Danny said thoughtfully.

"The Mirror of Erised? What's that?" Doug asked.

"It's a mirror that used to show people's desires, it's the one the Philosopher's Stone was hidden in," Danny explained. "But the Mirror was stolen and destroyed several years ago."

"Yep, I know who destroyed it too," Corey said cheerfully.

"I'd think that anything made out of crystal from there would be awful dangerous. I'd be afraid of it using my own weaknesses and fears against me," Taylor said.

"Why did Viviane allow the mirror to be made at all, then?" Corey asked.

"I'm sure she had her reasons at the time," Caprica said unknowingly. "That woman never does anything without a reason, and not all of them are what we would consider 'good.'"

"Morality has always been relative," Bedivere agreed. "What is wrong to one person may not be seen as wrong to another."

"You mean like what Thomas Craw did? Or even Icarus?" Corey asked. Caprica looked thoughtful.

"Actually, I'd put the two of them in a different category altogether, Corey. They both knew what they were doing was wrong, but they saw no other way to right certain things they felt partially responsible for. They condemned themselves in hopes that others wouldn't follow the same fate," Caprica explained.

"And that's wrong?" Corey asked.

"I think you need to decide that for yourself," Caprica said with a gentle smile.


It was nearly curfew before they went back to their rooms. As was customary, they had headed to the corridor leading to Ravenclaw first, chatting about what they learned as well as planning meetings between classes the next day when suddenly a frightened wail rang out.

Without a second thought, the four ran towards the scream to see what was the matter. Dame Rachel had collapsed and was sobbing loudly near the door to the common rooms. The door opened and several alarmed Ravenclaws looked out.

"What is it, what's wrong?" Carmody Stewart asked.

"He's gone! Something terrible has happened!" She wailed. "Please, someone has to help him!" She begged frantically.

"Who's gone, Dame Rachel?" Taylor asked, wishing he could take her hand to calm her.

"Icarus! Something has happened to Icarus! Please save him!" she wailed. Corey wasted no time, diving back down the hallway as everyone else yelled after him.

"He probably went to get Craw and Snape," Danny said.

"There's no time for that!" Rachel said frantically.

"What happened Rachel? Where was he?" Taylor asked.

"He was on his way to see Dumbledore. He said he had to talk to him about something important, and then I heard him cry out, and he just wasn't here anymore," Rachel sobbed.

"All right, Ravenclaws, everyone back inside, I'll take care of this," said a voice behind them. Taylor looked down to see Professor Flitwick hurrying over to them. "Settle down now. Miss Nelson, Mr. Brim, to your own house rooms please," Flitwick said. The two of them turned around and began to walk away, glancing back every now and then to see Flitwick softly trying to talk to her. Just then, Whiskers leapt to the floor, scurrying off.

"There he goes again. I wonder where he runs off to?" Doug said.

"I'm more worried about old Ick right now," Danny said. "And where is Janus? I hope he's alright."

"Well, it's not like you can hurt a ghost," Doug pointed out.

"No, but you can banish them," Danny said.

"Who would want to banish Icarus?" Doug wondered.

"I don't know," Danny said grimly. "But why do I get the feeling that whoever it was is the same person who wanted Professor Craw out of the way?"