Chapter 14: The Edge of the Deep End

The man leered in Harry's face. His putrid breath stirred Harry's bangs, and Harry stifled the urge to cough. "Glad you remember me, Potter," he said, his voice full of that same overconfidence that Harry had heard him use when he had addressed Harry last year. "You'll be seeing me for a while now, because my Lord intends to keep you here for a good while. He was just looking for someone like you to come along; someone with guts, someone who'll make an interesting test subject for his new weapon. So nice that you just happened to be spying on his camp."

Harry felt a wave of anger, and then he remembered that he was supposed to know nothing about this. He managed to screw his face into something resembling frightened curiosity and asked in a squeak, "New weapon? What weapon?" Wormtail seemed to swell at this, as if proud that he knew something Harry didn't. "Now, now, Potter, don't be so hasty. You'll know more about it than you'd care to soon enough." With that, he cast one more contemptuous glance in Harry's direction and shuffled out of the tent door. His voice came back over his shoulder, "Now, I wouldn't advise trying to escape. This whole camp's full of full-grown wizards, and we wouldn't want any tangles where, ah, unfortunate accidents might occur."

When he was gone, Harry coughed a few times to rid his head of that cloud of fear that had come over him when he heard Wormtail say 'new weapon.' *So, he plans to use it on me before Kentarre's had the chance to transfer her powers to me,* he thought miserably to himself. He looked around at the tent walls. He could see the shadows of three pairs of feet near the edge of the flap that led outside. *There doesn't seem to be a way out... but I'm definitely not waiting for Voldemort to squash my mind into a pulp. Hmmm...*

Harry toyed around with a few ideas until he came up with one he liked: wait for Kentarre to get back. She would see that he was not in the place she had left him, and she would surely think of something.

Well, Kentarre certainly did see that Harry was not where she had left him. In fact, she saw so well that she started telling whoever was close enough to hear her hushed tones just how stupid she was and exactly how mad Malfoy made her and precisely what she was going to do with Learst when she got her hands on him. When she finished this tirade under her breath, she began to watch the men in the camp very closely. *Well, I don't think it takes a Scotland Yard detective to figure out who resides in that big tent. However, they didn't take Harry to that one, because if they had, Kaeru would've been only too glad to finish him off then, and that hasn't happened yet. He must be in one of those smaller ones, but which one? Damn. I'll have to get closer.*

Kentarre crept forward until she was nearly inside one of the smaller ones. Inside were about six or seven black-robed people. All of their hoods were up, but Kentarre knew their voices to be female.

"Trust the men to come up with something like that," said one of them. "Honestly, sometimes I think that if they didn't have us around to interpret Lord Voldemort's orders, they'd all be running around like chickens with their heads cut off."

"And what would your husband say if he heard you talking like that?"

"Who cares? By the king's beard, Marla, you act as though you're afraid he's got spies that take down every word you say!"

"Well, at least I care what people think of me. I have a reputation to keep up--and my husband's counting on me to keep it."

"Oh, loosen up! What's the worst he can do?"

"I'm trying not to find out, and if you know what's best, you'll also toe the line. The Master's very uptight this year; he hopes to take down the Potter boy and Dumbledore all in one stroke, and he won't be able to do it if his servants aren't giving him all their attention."

"Oh, he'll succeed! Don't forget, we'll be there to help him flay the old bastard, and the boy will be a pushover once we get him cornered."

"Don't be so easy about it, Constance. It's not going to be a stroll in the park. The Master, so unfortunately, failed in his last attempt to kill Potter. What makes you think you're going to make such a big difference?"

"Confidence, Marla, confidence and motive. It'll make a difference when I think of my child being able to go to a school that is unstained by Mudbloods just as soon as we can wipe out that Muggle-loving geezer."

That was all Kentarre needed. She had heard enough to know what position Kaeru was in. *His servants are getting cocky... or at least one of them is, and soon it will spread. Good... very good. Now, if I could just find Potter, life would be good.*

The next tent was empty, and so was the next. The next tent had a man who looked to be standing guard in front of some kind of curtained off area, like a small side room. Kentarre went around to where the side room was bordered by the tent walls and took a peek. Inside, she saw Harry standing in the center, presumably twiddling his thumbs. A peek around the corner told her that there were three guards standing outside.

She quietly slipped under the canvas and murmured, "Quiet, Potter." He whirled and she saw the relief in his eyes. "What took you?" he asked under his breath.

"Got sidetracked. I found Malfoy snooping around behind us. He's being watched by Nazo."

"Good. Got a plan?"

"Of course. Is he planning to kill you or test you first?"

"Both, I think. So, what's the plan?"

"Stay here."

"What?"

"I can't counter what they're trying to do until I know what it is they're trying to do."

"Well, let me clear it up for you. Voldemort's going to use me as one of his test subjects, all of whom have either died or gone mad. Does that give you a hint?"

"Cool it, Potter, I've got the upper hand here because he doesn't know I'm here--yet."

"So when he finds out, then what?"

"Well, I want to keep my advantage over him as long as I can while keeping you alive, so I'm going to go undercover for a while to see what I can come up with."

"There's a Death Eater around here named Wormtail. He'll have the information you want, and he shouldn't be too hard to get a hold of."

"Hmmm. Thanks, Potter. Sit tight while I'm gone, and don't breathe a word."

"I'm not an imbecile."

"I know. See that you stay that way."

"Ha ha. Good luck, and be careful."

"I'm not a weakling, but I suppose even the strongest have to eat their words sometimes."

With that, Kentarre left Harry's cubicle through the main tent, and Harry could hear scuffling noises and a muffled grunt. Kentarre's head reappeared, this time cowled in black. She winked cheerily and then ducked back out.

Harry couldn't help grinning. *Sometimes she plays around so much it's scary,* he thought to himself, *but at least she gets the job done.*

Kentarre's grin, however, faded once she got back out of the tent. Very quickly, she drew her own wand and stuffed the stolen one into her pocket. Then she folded her hands inside her sleeves, her wand making a nice addition to the straight line that was her forearms.

She turned her chin down and began that hurried, swishing pace that blended almost seamlessly. As she made her way toward the center tent, she was aware of many murmured conversations going on around her, but she couldn't make out any of it without stopping to listen.

To Kentarre's surprise, she made it to the tent without any interruptions. *Now, that was interesting. I can't remember the last time an undercover job worked so well.*

Instead of listening through the front flap, she circled the entire cube to see if there were any good eavesdropping places. There were none. The entire perimeter was completely unbordered; plain, garish black walls that loomed toward the sky.

Kentarre cursed under her breath. *Just great. Now what?*

Just then, that what came. A whisper of a voice drifted out to her from the tent, almost on a breeze. The voice she almost didn't recognize, but the magic was painfully familiar. "Kennntaaaareee," it called. Kentarre felt the breeze pass directly through her, and it sent a shiver through her. At the same time, the mark on her left hand burned with the cold. And then it was over, and she was left staring at the tent wall.

Kentarre's eyes widened. The afteraffects of the breeze that was Voldemort's thought told her something that chilled her even more than the magic itself had. *He's using the Harp as a concealer. That's how he's infiltrating the spells protecting Hogwarts.

*And now he knows I'm here. Time to go get Potter out of here.*

Her trip back to Harry's tent was not quite so successful. Just when the door flap came into view, Kentarre saw someone else go in it. Muttering curses, she sidled up to listen.

"...to go, Potter. The master wishes to see you immediately."

Kentarre's curses became more vehement, but that did not stop her. *If I'm going to get him, now's the time.*

She dashed inside, her wand out. The man inside looked startled, and Kentarre wasted no time. "Petrificus Totalus!"

Once the man was on the ground in locked-joint position, Kentarre bent over him and removed the hood that had flapped over his face when he fell. Harry recognized him, and he heard Kentarre take in a sharp breath. "This is not your Wormtail," she said to Harry. Harry nodded, too stunned to speak.

Lucius Malfoy's angry eyes were open wide with shock. Through clenched teeth, he said, "What are you doing here, Kentarre? I thought you would be staying up at the castle, protecting Dumbledore from the truth."

Kentarre sat leisurely beside him. "Well, you'd better tell your master that there's been a change in the rules. Dumbledore knows everything."

"Then why hasn't he done anything? Is he really that frightened by our mere presence?"

"Actually, I'm handling things at the moment. He's making sure that the students don't get word of it and start to panic."

"How useful of him. While you wander around and do whatever you want, I suppose?"

"More or less. Mostly it's making sure you don't get your slimy fingers on Hogwarts."

"Too late for that, Kentarre--or should I say Zorensei? We're already on the move, and you can do nothing against the master's new weapon."

"You know, if you keep throwing your weight around you may just hit a wall. I already know what it is he has and his plans for it."

"That's easier to say than to back up."

"True, but this time I can actually do both. My point to you is this--tell your master from me to stop meddling in my affairs with the boy. What will happen has been destined to happen for an eternity and a half, and there's nothing he can do about it." At this point, Kentarre stood, brushed herself off, and said to Harry, "Come on. We've overstayed our welcome."

Harry began to follow her, but Lucius Malfoy's voice stopped him. "Harry," he said in a malicious voice. "A little advice. Don't blindly believe everything that girl tells you. She can't be trusted."

Harry looked at him for a moment, but he said nothing and left the tent.

Kentarre was standing just outside, blocking anyone's view of the door with her large, drapelike sleeves. "The game's not over yet, Potter; we still have to get out of this rat-infested refuse hole. Come on, under the cloak."

Harry did as he was told, and Kentarre pulled the folds in front of him, covering them both.

"Walk. Toward the trees."

They began their trek, but it wasn't very long before a very officious-looking woman approached them. Harry ducked down inside the cloak, trying to make it appear as though he were but an extension of Kentarre. Personally, if Harry could've seen what the pair of them looked like to someone else, he was quite sure that they would seem absolutely ridiculous. Harry thought he almost recognized the woman's voice, but suddenly he couldn't place it. After a rather short conversation in which Kentarre lied through her teeth more times than Harry could count, the woman's glittery high-heeled feet walked away.

Harry felt a nudge in the back of his knee and began to walk again, chancing to raise his head for a peek. They were almost to the trees. To their left and right was a tent wall. Kentarre muttered, "Well, that was an adventure, to say the least. Now let's go check on our friend Malfoy."

They found Malfoy underneath a tree--and not the same tree Kentarre had left him under. Nazo stood over him, glaring. When they approached, the man in brown turned and sent Kentarre a disgruntled but grateful glance. Malfoy stirred, but Nazo's eyes quickly returned to him, and he settled back against the bark.

Kentarre came up right behind Nazo, and Harry stood not far to her right, looking down at Malfoy, who sneered up at them both. "So, did he give you any trouble?" Kentarre asked Nazo, who hmmphed.

"He wasn't hard to keep under control." Malfoy did not look happy to hear that, as if he felt he had not done a good enough job.

Kentarre crouched down beside Malfoy, getting close to his face. "So, you weren't just tagging along to see where we were going. You knew, and you wanted to go and visit dear old dad."

Malfoy's eyes narrowed, and their expression became cold, shrewd. "I don't have the foggiest idea what you're talking about, Hisakata."

Kentarre smirked. "Save your breath. You're not doing yourself any favors by being here."

"That's not for you to decide, is it? What are you, Dumbledore's ambassador?"

"Watch it, pond scum. You're in way over your head this time."

"You don't frighten me, Hisakata. And you never will."

"Oh, I assure you, Malfoy, that'll change. I'm not worried about that. However, what I am worried about is what we're going to do with you." She looked up at Nazo. "What do you think?"

Nazo grunted. "If it were up to me, you wouldn't want to know what I think."

"I thought as much." She turned back to Malfoy. "You know, I should turn you in to Dumbledore right now."

Malfoy sneered. "Oh, I'm trembling."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."

"Why? I'm not scared of the old man, and I already told you, I'm not afraid of you."

"Perhaps." Kentarre stood and brushed her hands together. "Well, I suppose we'll just have to confine you to the hospital wing for a while. If you're not allowed to come into contact with other students, they'll never know about this. Will they, Malfoy?" Kentarre's face was grim.

But it wasn't nearly as grim as Malfoy's. "You mean you're going to--?" He tried unsuccessfully to keep the flutter out of his voice.

"I don't see any other alternative." Kentarre was about to raise her hand when Harry cried out.

"Don't!" He laid a hand on her arm and met her eyes for a few minutes. "There has to be another way."

Malfoy stared. "What's the matter, Potter? You getting queasy?"

Harry's face reddened angrily. "No. I just--"

Malfoy pounced again. He laughed loudly and crowed, "Potter's squeamish! I can't believe it! Well, well, well, Scarface Potter has a weakness after all! If it isn't girls, it's blood!" And his laughter rang out again.



It wasn't until later that night that they got back to the castle. They found that most of the Gryffindors were still in the common room, but Harry picked out Ron and Hermione instantly. Resisting an urge to run to them, Harry walked over, reading on their faces that they had read the expression on his. Hermione asked in a hushed tone that was not without worry, "What's happened, Harry?"

"Come on," he said quietly. "We have to talk."

The three of them left the common room and found an empty classroom. None of them felt much like sitting, so Harry simply launched into a recount of what they had just witnessed, Kentarre filling in where Harry had been in captivity. After they had finished, Ron said, "So we know for sure that he's here? He's coming to Hogwarts?"

Kentarre nodded grimly. "It's as I feared, but we'll be as prepared as we can be."

"Just one question, though. What'd you do with Malfoy?"

Kentarre suppressed a smile. "We left him to Madam Pomfrey. He had accidentally knocked his head on a tree branch, and got a concussion. We won't be seeing him for a few days."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "A few days for a concussion? That's unusually long…" And then she caught the meaning behind the mirth in Kentarre's eyes. "That's not funny at all, Kentarre," she stated solemnly, even as Ron struggled to contain his guffaws.

"You really did that?" he asked when he had caught his breath again.

Kentarre shrugged. "Somebody had to."

Hermione interjected, "Anyway, how do you know what he wants? You-Know-Who, I mean. For all we know, he could be here... here to take revenge on Harry."

Kentarre replied, "It could be both. He certainly does have a motive for both. But he was counting on me being here from the beginning... that's why he stole back his weapon. He knew I could and would follow him to this point."

"How do you know that?"

"I sensed it. He was using magic when I approached the tent, and I also have a special link to that weapon. I made it myself; it can't betray me, even if he commanded it to."

"So this weapon... what exactly does it do?"

"Its main function is alterations--conversions, if you will. It can alter or completely reverse anything it comes in contact with at the command of its wielder. However, it does require a certain amount of provision for this feat--the wielder has to use much of his own magic to fuel the chain reaction that begins the altering process."

Ron rolled his eyes. "You make it sound more scientific than magical."

"Well, it partially is. Kelohra isn't all fairy dust and flowery poems. It does have some substance." She said this last with a sardonic grin, which was returned by Ron and Harry.

But Hermione's frown remained. "So... if we know what he's after, what are we going to do about it?"

Kentarre's grin faded. "Well," she said, her tone softer, "I had to consult Dumbledore on that part. It seems he has already taken precautions for protection against an attack from Voldemort, and he did so with a little known fact about powdered harpy's feather."

Hermione's eyes widened. "Powdered harpy's feather? But that was on the list as one of our Potions ingredients!"

"Exactly. He had McGonagall put it on the list with all the other ingredients for every year so that all of us would have a little bottle. And Snape hasn't used it at all during the year, so unless someone didn't get all of their ingredients, all of our bottles are still full."

Ron asked, "So what is it really used for?"

Kentarre leaned in closer, a seemingly instinctive move, since there was no one else in the room but them. "Well, if used properly, it will make the wearer disappear for a short period of time. You see--" She stopped abruptly, staring in the direction of the door.

A knock came on the door of Professor Dumbledore's office. From inside, his cheery voice ushered in the knocker: "Enter."

Professor McGonagall's head came into view as the door opened.

"Yes, Minerva, what is it?"

"Well," she began, "I had to speak to you." She entered and shut the door noiselessly behind her. "It has come to my attention that your guest has been arousing some suspicions among the other students."

Dumbledore's eyebrows shot skyward. "I assume that you are speaking of Kentarre's investigation."

The woman met his eyes with no qualms. "I must be frank. I have come to question the wisdom of your decision to allow her to commence this investigation over the course of the year. The students have already begun to inquire amongst themselves about who she really is and why she pretends to be a student here if she really isn't one. They're not sure what to think, and I fear that someone could start something that will lead to something unpleasant. I have never questioned your judgment before, and I fight myself against fighting you, because I know that you always have a reason, but I had to ask. Are you sure it is necessary?"

Dumbledore rose slowly from his desk and turned his back to his employee to face the window. After a long pause, he said, "You ask if I am sure. And I must tell you honestly, Minerva, I have not been sure about many things concerning the crisis at hand. But I do know this: Kentarre has certain connections with our adversary that we will never understand. She has access to a power we cannot comprehend. She understands concepts that we are unable to fathom. She functions in a way that we never knew possible, and she came here to use these powers that she possesses all out of concern for this one boy with whom she shares nothing but an experience. I tell you," he said, turning, "I have never been more sure about anything than when I made the decision to allow Kentarre to enter this building as a student."

Professor McGonagall's face still betrayed her concern and worry, so Dumbledore added, "I did not tell you this, or any of the other teachers, but she also saved my life without cause." The woman's eyes met Dumbledore's for the second time, this time registering surprise.

The old man's eyes smiled back. "She knew when I was in peril, and she saved my life. To this day, I do not know why. But it has allowed me to catch a glimpse of what she is really like, behind all the mystery surrounding her person. I believe she will come through, and for more reasons than just her own."

The professor shook her head. "Then we can do nothing but sit back and watch? Is there nothing we can do to help, or to fight with her, if it comes to that?"

Dumbledore considered this for a while, and then he said, "There is something which I had planned on from the beginning of the year. Of course you know about the harpy's feather, but there is something else which I believe could work, if done underneath Kentarre and her actions. But we must call a meeting of the faculty."

McGonagall looked almost grateful for the hint of action. She immediately mobilized, heading for the door, saying, "I'll call them together in the teacher's lounge."

Dumbledore's voice called to her as she left. "Minerva."

She paused, looking over her shoulder.

Dumbledore's twinkling smile met her gaze. "Thank you for bringing this to me."

She gave a small smile and a nod before closing the door behind her.

"Jycein." Kentarre's voice was more of a growl.

The dark-haired teacher stood in the doorway, trying, it seemed, to keep a smile off of his face. Never taking his eyes off Kentarre, he said, "I assume you know the punishment for being caught out past curfew." He walked forward, and for the first time, his eyes landed on Ron, Harry, and Hermione, who stood slightly in front of their silver-haired ally.

The professor's next word rang out like the harsh tone of someone striking a cracked bell. "Detention, I believe, is the proper sentencing. You will be informed of when two mornings from now."

Just then, Professor McGonagall's anxious voice sounded over everything, not very loudly, but Kentarre knew somehow that everyone in the building, except in the dormitories, could hear. "Will all of the teachers please assemble in the teacher's lounge immediately."

Jycein's smirk, however, did not fade. "It seems," he sneered, "that I'll be a bit late to the meeting." He gave a curt nod to the four of them, and then, stepping aside as if he expected them to walk in front of him, said, "I will escort you back to your common room."

Meanwhile, those teachers who were available went immediately to the teacher's lounge. Professor Dumbledore, of course, was first, but he was joined shortly by Professors McGonagall, Snape, Sprout, and Flitwick. One by one, all of the faculty members arrived--except, Dumbledore noticed, Professor Jycein. And, having been told of Jycein's treachery by Kentarre, this did not worry him, but rather, it gave him a sense of urgency.

So he began. "I first must inform you of a certain antagonist who has been in our midst but a short time and already--"

Professor Flitwick interrupted. "Hold on, Dumbledore. Where's Professor Jycein?"

A few curious murmurs followed this, including a, "We can't start without him," from Professor Sprout, who had developed a sort of speaking term with the dark-haired Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

However, several people were surprised to note the grimness on Dumbledore's face. "That does have something to do with what I was about to say. You see, Kentarre has informed me that our Professor Jycein has been consorting with Voldemort."

This was met by several indistinguishable comments, some angered, some shocked, some utterly confused. There was even an odd jerking movement from Professor Snape, whose face was unreadable. Dumbledore looked straight at him, and then addressed the group, "However, before we go into hysterics," he said with a pointed glance at some of the angrier teachers, including Filch, who was scowling even deeper than he did when he caught infringing students, "I have something to say of this. He knows that Kentarre is aware of this, but he does not expect her to have told us."

Professor Flitwick said, his face lightening, "You plan to use this against him?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes. We have a duty to fulfill to these students. The Christmas holidays are approaching, and then we can catch him and question him. I do not have to tell you the implications of this. If we fail to control him, he may take drastic measures, and we may find ourselves without a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher in the middle of the school year. However, if we do manage to subdue him, he may provide us with valuable information as to Voldemort's current status and position. Very shortly I intend to send for Kentarre that she might join us."

"Why?" It was Snape, and his voice sounded icy. "Why must we always have her present? Why is she so vital to our plans?"

"Kentarre is the one who brought this to our attention in the first place," Flitwick pointed out. "It was she who knew what Voldemort was up to first, and she chose to tell us about it. I don't see why we should keep our plans from her." This was met by a murmur of agreement, and Snape tried hard to keep his scowl off his face.

Dumbledore swept the room with a piercing gaze of blue for a moment until all was silent. "On a better note, I will propose to you a defense mechanism that I have had in mind since the beginning of the school year. However, as I had hoped not to be forced to use it, I have kept it to myself. I tell you now because the time is right, so please believe me when I say that it is not too early. This mechanism I speak of is the ." This time more than a few people began to speak all at once. Dumbledore held up a hand for silence. "I know," he continued, "that this has not been used for many, many years, and that there is also no guarantee that it will still work with the same potency. However, its instrument is still in its resting place underneath this castle, and though it was damaged the last time it was used, I believe that with proper restoration, it could be used again."

"Out with it, already," said Snape dryly, "before we melt in the heat of suspense."

This warranted a few titters and even a wry smile from Dumbledore. "Very well, Severus," he said amicably, "there's no need to get impatient. What I am proposing is that we utilize the Recardium Lens."

A few of the older faculty members gave gasps of recognition, among them Professors Flitwick, McGonagall, and Binns. However, the younger and less experienced ones merely creased their brows and waited for Dumbledore to elaborate.

Which, he did. "For those of you who do not know or do not remember, the Recardium Lens was initially created by the four founders of this school as a means for them to unite their magics to protect the school, should it need protecting. The Lens is not very specific in this matter; it can be used to protect any manner of precise objects, from a student to a chamber in the castle. The Lens was used for this purpose to--"

At this moment, the door to the lounge abruptly opened and shut. All eyes turned in that direction, and they found Professor Jycein, looking rather pleased with himself about something. Dumbledore smiled pleasantly. "Professor Jycein," he said in greeting. "I trust you have a very intriguing reason for being late to the staff meeting."

Jycein nodded graciously. "I have, Headmaster. I found four loiterers in one of the empty classrooms. I had to escort them back to their common room."

"Room?" Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "They were all from the same house? Which one?"

"Gryffindor, Professor." His smirk, if possible, grew even more severe.

The teachers absorbed this news while Dumbledore gave a small nod. "Very well. Anyway, Professor Jycein, we were just discussing the reason I called the staff meeting. I am sure you are aware that in the case of an emergency, this castle will be completely vulnerable to assault from the outside. I want to make it clear to all of you that though there are enchantments protecting this school, there is nothing beyond those. Certainly, the gargoyles at the front gate can be used to our advantage to some extent, but other than that there is nothing we can do if these enchantments are bypassed." Dumbledore gave a very stern look to all of the teachers, including Jycein, who tried to school his glee without success. "I do ask, therefore," he went on, "that all of you make yourselves available to any call of emergency that might arise. Be on the alert at all times; we don't want anything to happen that could have been prevented."

Jycein's face began to show traces of unease. Dumbledore could already see the wheels turning in his head as he added two and two. "But Headmaster," he interjected, "there must be something we can do. In light of all that is happening in the outside world, we don't have any idea of what to expect. Surely there is some measure of defense or precaution that we have not thought of."

Dumbledore's blue eyes met Jycein's dark ones. "What do you propose, Professor? I have studied thoroughly our chances of success if this castle is successfully entered. The enchantments placed on this castle were intended to be impassable, and they have been thus far. However, as you say, we cannot know what to expect. We do not presume to know anything about Lord Voldemort's future plans, so we must be ready to face the facts. If he is indeed capable of penetrating these walls, there will be very little we can do to withstand him. However, if you do come up with anything that might be useful, I trust you to inform the rest of us at once. We all have a duty to the students here." At this his gaze returned to the rest of the room. "They are the most priceless treasure we house. We must never forget that."

This was met with a murmur of agreement, and shortly after, Dumbledore released the teachers to their respective offices and beds. Jycein did not linger, and no one asked where he was going.

Kentarre, Harry, Ron, and Hermione all reached the common room in silence. Harry thought Kentarre was fuming, and that was the reason for her silence, but when he chanced a glance at her, her face was neutral, even pensive.

When they entered, there was a larger amount of late-night stragglers than usual, so they did not speak. Rather, Kentarre drew from her robes a pad and pen, and she scribbled a short note on it and handed it to Harry. Without a word, she nodded to them and ascended the stairs to the girls' quarters.

The three remaining all leaned in to read the note.

Harry, it read, don't forget about tomorrow. I'll see you at 1 A.M.; two trees to the right of the Whomping Willow. Kentarre.