Chapter Four: Welcome to the Jungle
"Have you ever done anything like that before?"
"I- I don't know. I mean, if I did, how would the other person know they weren't dreaming? I would I even know they were there?"
Lucy nodded and pressed a mug of Mama Rosa's herbal tea into Resheph's still slightly shaking hands. It hadn't been difficult to spot the terrified boy frozen in his chair several aisles down from her in the library, and she had taken him back to Gryffindor tower with her to try and figure out what to do.
"So, what is this, this thing I did?"
"It's a different kind of magic, one that doesn't rely on the use of a wand, and which uses few true spells. It's more about energy manipulation and transmutation. Anyway, what it looks like is that you have a gift for projection, imparting what you are seeing, or thinking, directly into someone's mind. You might be able to communicate mind to mind, that's telepathy, as well, I'm not sure yet."
"And you can do that?"
"At my old school, that's the only magic I learned. They didn't teach us about wands or most Hogwart's spells."
"Can anyone else here besides us do anything like that?"
Lucy wasn't exactly sure how to answer that. Rasheph was scared, that was obvious, and Lynx had been as well. The Slytherin girl, she hadn't seemed scared, but she may not have realized what was happening. It wasn't her place to tell Rasheph about the others though, if they weren't in England it wouldn't have been a big deal, but here western magic was looked on largely as a primitive heathen-like practice.
"I'm not sure. It's not abnormal really, there are probably lots of people here with potential that just wouldn't know an emerging gift if they saw it. It's probably like that all over the country, latent or something."
"Right. So what do I do about it?"
Lucy took a deep breath. "Well, that depends on you. I could try and block it for you, if it's early enough we can cap the channel that's funneling energy and you wouldn't project anymore. Although, I've never really done that and I couldn't guarantee that it wouldn't crack in a time of high emotional or physical stress."
"All right, what's the other option."
"The other option is that you learn to live with it, to control it."
"And you can help me with that?"
"I honestly can't say right now. I have to talk to a couple of people, but I will let you know tomorrow, how about that?"
"Sounds fair. Thanks for waking me up, by the way."
Lucy nodded, she wanted to ask him why he had been dreaming about Azkaban, but it wasn't her place.
"No problem. I'd better go now, it was nice to meet you Rasheph."
"Nice to meet you too Lucy."
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"You'd better be dead, that is the only excuse."
"You're being unreasonable."
"Do you have any idea what time it is in Egypt?"
"It can't be that much different than the time here."
"And what time is it in England, Lucy?"
"A little past three in the morning."
"You are no longer my adopted sister."
"Oh just shut up and listen will you, this is kinda important."
"Kinda? You rip me from my sleep for kinda? You're lucky my roommate is on a trip to Greece right now, he'd kill you."
"I'm shaking."
"He could you know, he's big, and he's working on his third thesis and...."
"Focus, Diego, please. Do you know if the Circle has any restrictions on the types of students a school is allowed to train?"
"What? Slow down, I'm only half awake for heaven's sake." Indeed, the young, dark haired, Mexican American boy in the mirror was sitting crossed legged on a bed wearing a pair of boxers with glow in the dark smiley faces on them and rubbing his eyes. He wasn't exactly ready to act human at this point. But Lucy wasn't really giving him a choice.
"You know, are there any rules that would prevent a school from taking on a student to train?"
"No, not really."
"And what about restriction on who can teach?"
"I don't know, I'd have to check, it depends on the level of study."
"Basic through intermediate."
"Umm, I think you have to have been Master level for several years to get a license. Lucy, what is going on over there?"
"Well, it's kind of a long story."
So, she told him all about Dumbledore's proposal, her refusal, and the sudden flurry of three potential students gifted with western abilities.
"Wow."
"Thank you Diego, that's very helpful."
"Sorry, but, wow."
"I mean, I want to help them, but first of all I don't know if its allowed, and second of all..."
"You don't want to."
"Right."
"Because you're angry at the English Ministry."
"Yes."
"That's awful spiteful of you Lucy."
"Well, aren't you mad at them?"
"Of course I am. But I don't think that everyone over there should suffer because of one executive decision that was obviously very difficult to make."
"So you think I should accept Dumbledore's proposal."
"No. I think you should train those students."
"But..."
"And you shouldn't tell the headmaster."
"Why not?"
"Because I think that this has become Espiritu's business, and not his."
"I'm confused Diego."
"It's simple, look at it this way. If Dumbledore had given you a list of names and you had tracked them down and put them in a room and got all their gifts under control, that would have been Dumbledore's plan. But that is not how Espiritu works, is it?"
"No."
"How does it work?"
"You're starting to sound like the professor," Lucy groaned.
"Just answer the question, trainee."
"Fine. Be more specific."
"How do students get invited to Espiritu?"
"They don't. That's why they still think of us as a slightly religiously affiliated school, because students find us, through some series of events students find there way to Espiritu to be taught. And some still think that is the will of the Four manifested on earth."
"Well, Lucy, maybe its me, but isn't that exactly what happened to you? You weren't seeking students, you made that clear to Dumbledore. But they found you."
"So this is the will of the Four?"
"Perhaps. And this would be a great opportunity for you, the one who wanted to ensure the survival of the Espiritu school, to do something about it. Teach our magic to another part of the world."
At that moment the Diego in the mirror turned around, and Lucy could hear loud voices shouting in Egyptian from the corridor behind him.
"What's that?"
"I don't know, and my Egyptian is pretty crummy, I've only been here two days."
"I thought you said it was an appallingly early hour?"
"It is, I don't know who that is, or what they are about, but I'm gonna go find out. If its interesting, I'll get back to you."
"Get back to me anyway."
"Good luck hermanita. I love you."
"Love you too, you better go before you miss them."
"Try not to get into too much trouble."
"You know me."
"That's what I'm worried about. Adios!"
With that the image rippled and faded and Lucy was left staring at her own reflection.
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She didn't sleep well that night, but in the morning she knew Diego had been right about at least one thing, she needed to do this. Not for Dumbledore or for the Ministry, but because untrained gifts manifesting in older trainees were dangerous, and for the other reason that she would be a hypocrite if she didn't do it.
She managed to slip notes to Rasheph and Lynx during breakfast, but since the strange girl from Slytherin hadn't asked her for help yet, she was going to have to try another way. And it was going to be a little disturbing.
She sat down next to Seamus, pretending to be listening to the endless debate over which feints needed to be practiced more, and searched the hall for the girl from Hagrid's class. She finally found her, a dark head of long hair sitting next to Pansy, leaning in to listen to a girl with very short red hair who was talking animatedly with her hands.
Lucy took a deep breath and tried to keep her 'head voice' light and friendly.
**So how long have you been able to do this?**
The girl sat straight up in her seat, knocking over a glass of orange juice. That instigated a flurry of questions from her peers, and she appeared to be muttering an apology as she cleaned up the mess.
**Sorry** Lucy tried to make her voice sound as guilty as she felt.
**Has it been long, or it this recent?**
The girl looked very confused.
She doesn't know how to answer, Lucy thought to herself.
**Right. Listen, you are not insane. If this has been going on for over a year rub your left eye, for less than a year rub your right.**
The girl paused for a moment, hesitating, then rubbed her right eye.
Lucy nodded to herself.
**OK, this is going to sound strange, but I can help you with this, if you want. I already promised to help two other people, you're not the only one this has happened to. Do you want any help with this? Lean your chin on your left hand for yes, on your right hand for no.**
The girl didn't hesitate this time, she leaned her chin on her left hand.
**Good. OK, we are meeting in the library, the grouping of chairs two rows down from the restricted section, at five o'clock this afternoon. Can you make that? Switch the hand you are leaning on for yes.**
The hand switched.
**I'll see you then.**
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Advanced Astronomy was one of Lucy's favorite classes, but today she couldn't help fidgeting. She had barely made it through potions without doing something to set Snape off, and right now she couldn't focus on the lecture about the Crab Nebula for more than five minutes at a time. She nearly jumped out of her seat when they were dismissed, which earned her a raised eyebrow from Professor Quark, and with an apologetic smile she raced out of the room.
She used every shortcut she knew to get back to Gryffindor tower without being trapped in the crush of students filling the halls, sprinting through the portrait hole and up the stairs to her room. She wasn't running because of he meeting this afternoon, although she was nervous about that, but she was expecting a message from Diego very soon, and didn't want to miss it.
But when she 'rang' the mirror at the Cairo school where he was staying, Diego didn't answer. He was supposed to have mirror duty until six o clock her time, but the person whose face appeared at the summons was an African girl with a thick accent.
"Yes, may I help you?"
"I'm looking for Diego Alvarez?"
"Alvarez? I'm sorry, no I don't know a Diego Alvarez."
"He just got there, he arrived on Sunday."
"Let me check the log book.....ah, yes, he was here."
"Was here?"
The girl looked uncomfortable, and kept looking over her shoulder.
"Yes, he's been moved, he was sent south with a bunch of pre-masters to the Sudan, to join the Sahara school."
"But he wasn't supposed to go there until mid-winter."
"Well, maybe they'll send him back, I'm sorry I don't know what else to tell you. And I really need to keep this connection open for urgent calls."
"Urgent? What's going on?"
The girl shrugged. "I have no idea. But between you, me, and the wall, something must have happened. There have been more people moving in and out of here than the downtown bazaar. Nothing tragic, nothing like last year, but they have something they're buzzing about all right. Now, if there isn't anything else, I really have to-"
"Yeah, yeah, I understand. Thanks a lot."
She dropped her spell line and the image blinked out. She wasn't worried, just aggravated. She hated being out of the loop. She decided she ought to try and look back over what she had failed to accomplish in Astronomy when she was jolted to attention by the sound of the door being slammed, hard.
Hermione stalked into the room and flung herself down on the bed, sitting up long enough to yank the curtains shut before Lucy heard her flop back down again.
"Um, Hermione...."
"I DON'T want to talk about it Lucy."
"Ok, then."
Sensing that the girl wanted to be alone, Lucy took her book down to the common room to study before she had to go to the library.
The first thing she noticed when she came down was Ron and Harry sitting down to play chess, but they hadn't touched their pieces. When Ron finally made a move his pawn was immediately dismembered by Harry's knight, and Ron didn't seem to mind in the least.
She made her way to the corner and sat down in a chair next to Seamus.
"How long have they been like that?"
"Not long. They just came in, with Hermione, but she marched straight upstairs without looking at either of 'em."
"Yeah, I saw her. Any idea what's going on?"
Seamus shook his head. "You ask, me they're all nuts. But you get used to it. I mean, it really isn't unusual for Harry, Ron, and Hermione to be acting strange. They've been conspiring on one thing or another every year they've been here."
Lucy nodded and opened her book, looking up occasionally with amusement to watch what could go down in record as the worst game of chess ever played in the Gryffindor common room. They were playing worse than she did, and that was saying something.
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When she made her way to the cluster of chairs in the library, Rasheph was already there.
"So you're really gonna do this, huh?"
Lucy shook her head. "WE are really gonna do this. I'm not exactly a teacher, we're going to have to hope we'll be able to help each other."
Rasheph nodded. At that moment Lynx came around the bookshelf and dropped down.
"It's an awful public place Lucy... oh hello." He extended his hand towards Rasheph "Brimstead, Lynx Brimstead."
Rasheph stood and shook his hand. "Radu, Rasheph Radu." He looked studied Lynx closely for a minute. "You're a Hufflepuff, right?"
Lynx nodded. "Got me there, fifth year. I'm one of the alternate keepers for the Quidditch team this year too. And you are a..."
"Ravenclaw. Sixth year-"
"And a prefect!" Lucy had suddenly noticed Rasheph's badge. "I didn't notice that before. You better realize now Rasheph that you are officially off duty during these meetings."
The Indian boy grinned. "Not to worry. We aren't all angels you know. Not all prefects live their lives by the book."
"Hermione sure does," Lucy mumbled.
Lynx looked around, "So, are we going to get started or what?"
"Actually, there should be-"
"Is this where I'm supposed to be?" A head of long black hair peered around the bookcase.
Lucy grinned, "Yeah, you're in the right place. I'm Lucy Montero, and this is Lynx Brimstead and Rasheph Radu. They're the others I was telling you about. And, I'm sorry, I don't know your name..."
"Oh, I'm Bethany, Bethany Tsepish. People just call me Bet though"
"Pleased to meet you."
"Hi."
The new girl looked around uncomfortably. "So, um, which houses are you in?"
"Gryffindor."
"Ravenclaw."
"Hufflepuff."
"Which house are you in?" Lynx asked.
"Slytherin."
Silence from the two boys. Lucy gulped, maybe she should have mentioned that fact sooner.
That was when Bet rolled her eyes and dropped down in a chair. "You know, its not like I'm going to hex you on the spot or anything."
The boys looked sheepish. Lucy grinned. "Sorry, I guess we didn't realize..."
"No one ever does," Bet groaned. "But you try being despised for six years, it gets real old, real fast. And its not like I've ever done anything REALLY awful."
"So those rumors about ritualistic sacrifices of first years aren't true?"
"And the drinking of snake blood as an initiation rite?"
"The monthly Slytherin orgies?"
Bet just leaned back in her chair with a satisfied smile on her face. "I'll never tell."'
The rest of them burst into laughter, only to be hushed by Madam Pince, who was four rows away.
"I think," Lucy recovered, "The first order of business should be to adjourn to someplace a little less conspicuous."
"No argument here," Lynx grinned.
They filed out of the library and up the main stairs. Lucy was picking her route fairly carefully. She was pretty sure she could trust the other three, but she didn't want to be wrong and have them know all the tunnels she had found using Asriel's old maps. She stuck to main corridors, taking the long way to where she was headed, a small and unused classroom not far from the base of the divination stairs, rather than taking shortcuts through the walls. When she finally got to that hall she counted three pictures frames and pulled on the fourth, which swung open. Another blessing was that most of the paintings in this hall were landscapes, except the picture of some headmaster's twin children, painted well over 150 years ago, and they generally found themselves more interesting than anything else; in other words, no one was there to see anything. Through the hole behind the painting they traveled a short hallway and emerged in the hall beyond. This was a lightly trafficked hallway, but to get to it the normal way led right past the hallway Filche's office was on, and Lucy wanted to avoid that.
Two doors down she found the door she was looking for, unlocked, as usual, and she went in.
"Where are we?" Rasheph looked around, "I can't even keep it straight what side of the castle we're on."
"I know WHAT it is," Lynx groaned, looking around at the books on the shelves, the cabinet with neatly labeled materials, the cauldrons lined up on the top of the bookcase. "It's one of the OWL prep rooms for this year. Open all day, you can even get passes with special permission to stay here all night, see the pillows? Percival Norman, he's got the bed next to mine, he's been in the one near our common room all this afternoon, and its still the first week of school." He shuddered. "Do we have to study here Lucy?"
Lucy shook her head. "We're not, but I don't know another way in yet."
"In where?"
But Lucy was already heading toward the fireplace, crawling on her hands and knees in the soot, and looking around the edge. She looked at the piece of paper in her hand, than smacked herself in the forehead. "They drew the room upside down."
She crossed to the other side of the room, shoved a trunk out of the way, and pulled back part of the rug that covered the floor. The stone underneath had a small ring on it, she pulled. And pulled. Nothing.
"Damn."
She heard a snort from behind her, and looked up at Rasheph.
"What do you have to say sir?"
He shook his head. "Well, I know you're being real nice to help me and all, but Lucy, are you a witch or aren't you?"
He muttered something she couldn't make out while swishing his wand toward the trapdoor. Then he lazily bent down and pulled it open.
"Aren't we the clever one?" Lucy raised her eyebrow and peered into the dark, then dropped down.
"Well, come on! And pull the rug shut behind you!"
The trapdoor led to narrow spiraling staircase inside the walls. They followed it down to a carved wooden door, which was unlocked, leading them into a small room with several arm chairs and a low table near a fireplace.
"Where are we now?"
Lucy shrugged, "I have no clue. This was the old 7th year gentlemen's prefects lounge, cerca the 1970's, when the lounges were still single sex. No one uses it anymore because its so out of the way. That room above was an old prefect's study. I hear the new ones are much nicer."
"They are," Rasheph ran a finger over the dust on the mantle. "Could it have taken any longer to get here though?"
Lucy shrugged, "My sources didn't tell me the direct way, but that's pretty easy to find out. The door's over there."
She pointed to a door across the room. Lynx went and opened it, looking around carefully, before darting out and returning grinning like an idiot.
"Well," Bet asked, "What's out there?"
He shrugged, "Just the place any red blooded male would want outside his study. It's the kitchens!"
At this Rasheph leaped up and sprinted out to verify this fact for himself, returing with a similar dreamy expression.
Bet snorted. "Men."
Lucy shook her head, "There has to be another way in."
While the boys salivated, the girls combed the floor and the walls for a possible exit, until Bet shoved the bookcase into the wall, where it kept moving back, revealing a small alcove, with a door to the left, and a door to the right.
They looked at each other. Lucy went left, Bet went right.
Bet came back quickly, a small smile on her face.
"What?" Lynx asked.
She grinned, "Well, I know where I was, so I'm guessing where Lucy is."
That was when they heard a shriek echo and Lucy came running back in.
"Ewwwwwwwww!"
She stood there sputtering and making absolutely no sense.
"Bet, where were YOU?"
She grinned, "I came out in the girls toilet, floor below the great hall. Which means Lucy was in the-"
"That was the most foul thing I ever saw in my life! How do you handle the smell?" Lucy came stumbling back through the door, gasping for air.
Lynx and Rasheph just looked at each other and collapsed in a heap laughing. Lucy was not amused.
"Why was there an entrance from the girls room? What kind of sick people were prefects in those days? Ewwww, I am traumatized for life!"
Bet helped Lucy to a chair, where she sank down. "So very not funny. But at least we have a better way in now."
"Couldn't anyone find it?"
Lucy shook her head. "Not unless anyone ever tried to move a toilet before. I don't think I'm going to like that part."
The boys calmed themselves and the four settled themselves in chairs around the table.
"So," Lynx began, "How exactly are we going to do this?"
They stared at each other uneasily.
"Well," Lucy had recovered her composure, "I guess the first order of business would be to decide WHO you want to know about this."
"Does anyone else know right now?"
"No one at Hogwarts."
The small sighs of relief that escaped the other three were not beyond Lucy's notice.
"I take it that you want to keep this discreet?"
Bet nodded, looking at Lynx and Rasheph with a similar look of fear, they were also nodding.
"No offense Lucy, but, well-"
"I mean this just isn't DONE-"
"If anyone in Slytherin knew..."
Lucy nodded. "Well I pretty much expected that. I think I only know of one person who would choose to have this whole thing made public.... anyhow..."
At that point Lynx's stomach started to rumble, along with Rasheph's. Lucy couldn't help but giggle and Bet joined in.
"Maybe we better start work next time."
"Good idea."
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"Stop fidgeting."
"I'm not fidgeting."
"Come off it, you're making ME antsy just looking at you, now cut it out."
"Fine." Lucy gave Ron a nasty look and sat on her left hand to keep it from drumming on the table, crossed her ankles to keep her legs from swinging, and tried to concentrate on the baked potato in front of her. It had been almost two weeks since their conversation had been interrupted and she still hadn't heard any news from Diego yet. She knew he was fine, she'd know if he wasn't, but it was killing her not to know what was going on in HER wizarding world.
By now everyone at Hogwarts knew what had happened in THEIR world. Fudge had sent another set of reserves to Azkaban to try and break the dementors' hold on the prison. It had been the largest addition of manpower since the summer. Lucy had heard it first in a note from Marguerite shortly after dinner on Thursday. Parker's sister had been outside of Azkaban with the Ministry effort since July, and his brother had just been sent out Sunday night. An express owl had arrived Monday during lunch, and it was that news that had caused the kind hearted first year to hole himself up all afternoon. The Marguerite had wormed it out of him after an hour or two, and had him more or less dealing well with the whole situation. Lucy reminded herself she ought to pay them a visit sometime over the weekend.
But Lucy wasn't the only one who's mind was clearly occupied elsewhere at the Gryffindor table that night. Hermione had that look that only came over her face when she was mentally reading through the library card catalogue, planning what looked to be a lengthy expedition. Ron was fruitlessly trying to engage her in conversation. Harry was also looking preoccupied, although it could as easily have been Quidditch or Voldemort, she wasn't very good at reading Harry, and she wasn't curious enough to be tempted to glean his actual thoughts.
Besides, she knew better than to try and discern what was going on with those three. Seamus had told her, and she had seen for herself, that some things never left their little circle. And they were probably things she didn't want to know about anyway. As it was she was one of the few people outside the group who knew about Sirius Black's true existence, but that was more due to an accident and Harry being too kind a person to perform a memory charm than anything else. So for the moment she actually listened to Ron and stopped her fidgeting, stabbing her potato with a force that caused Seamus to glance at her from his place across the table, raise a single questioning eyebrow, and return to his meal. Lucy didn't care, it was the safest avenue to vent her aggression, all things considering.
*****Me talking. Sorry to be so long in getting this out, college is kind of not being so fun right now. Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks to those of you that review. Oh, and if you wanted to know, Bet's last name, Tsepish, isn't pronounced 'Zepish', its more like if you said the word 'cats' and you took that last 'ts' sound and began the word with that. Sorry, I just got out of a linguistics course, so I still have all that stuff on the brain.*******
"Have you ever done anything like that before?"
"I- I don't know. I mean, if I did, how would the other person know they weren't dreaming? I would I even know they were there?"
Lucy nodded and pressed a mug of Mama Rosa's herbal tea into Resheph's still slightly shaking hands. It hadn't been difficult to spot the terrified boy frozen in his chair several aisles down from her in the library, and she had taken him back to Gryffindor tower with her to try and figure out what to do.
"So, what is this, this thing I did?"
"It's a different kind of magic, one that doesn't rely on the use of a wand, and which uses few true spells. It's more about energy manipulation and transmutation. Anyway, what it looks like is that you have a gift for projection, imparting what you are seeing, or thinking, directly into someone's mind. You might be able to communicate mind to mind, that's telepathy, as well, I'm not sure yet."
"And you can do that?"
"At my old school, that's the only magic I learned. They didn't teach us about wands or most Hogwart's spells."
"Can anyone else here besides us do anything like that?"
Lucy wasn't exactly sure how to answer that. Rasheph was scared, that was obvious, and Lynx had been as well. The Slytherin girl, she hadn't seemed scared, but she may not have realized what was happening. It wasn't her place to tell Rasheph about the others though, if they weren't in England it wouldn't have been a big deal, but here western magic was looked on largely as a primitive heathen-like practice.
"I'm not sure. It's not abnormal really, there are probably lots of people here with potential that just wouldn't know an emerging gift if they saw it. It's probably like that all over the country, latent or something."
"Right. So what do I do about it?"
Lucy took a deep breath. "Well, that depends on you. I could try and block it for you, if it's early enough we can cap the channel that's funneling energy and you wouldn't project anymore. Although, I've never really done that and I couldn't guarantee that it wouldn't crack in a time of high emotional or physical stress."
"All right, what's the other option."
"The other option is that you learn to live with it, to control it."
"And you can help me with that?"
"I honestly can't say right now. I have to talk to a couple of people, but I will let you know tomorrow, how about that?"
"Sounds fair. Thanks for waking me up, by the way."
Lucy nodded, she wanted to ask him why he had been dreaming about Azkaban, but it wasn't her place.
"No problem. I'd better go now, it was nice to meet you Rasheph."
"Nice to meet you too Lucy."
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"You'd better be dead, that is the only excuse."
"You're being unreasonable."
"Do you have any idea what time it is in Egypt?"
"It can't be that much different than the time here."
"And what time is it in England, Lucy?"
"A little past three in the morning."
"You are no longer my adopted sister."
"Oh just shut up and listen will you, this is kinda important."
"Kinda? You rip me from my sleep for kinda? You're lucky my roommate is on a trip to Greece right now, he'd kill you."
"I'm shaking."
"He could you know, he's big, and he's working on his third thesis and...."
"Focus, Diego, please. Do you know if the Circle has any restrictions on the types of students a school is allowed to train?"
"What? Slow down, I'm only half awake for heaven's sake." Indeed, the young, dark haired, Mexican American boy in the mirror was sitting crossed legged on a bed wearing a pair of boxers with glow in the dark smiley faces on them and rubbing his eyes. He wasn't exactly ready to act human at this point. But Lucy wasn't really giving him a choice.
"You know, are there any rules that would prevent a school from taking on a student to train?"
"No, not really."
"And what about restriction on who can teach?"
"I don't know, I'd have to check, it depends on the level of study."
"Basic through intermediate."
"Umm, I think you have to have been Master level for several years to get a license. Lucy, what is going on over there?"
"Well, it's kind of a long story."
So, she told him all about Dumbledore's proposal, her refusal, and the sudden flurry of three potential students gifted with western abilities.
"Wow."
"Thank you Diego, that's very helpful."
"Sorry, but, wow."
"I mean, I want to help them, but first of all I don't know if its allowed, and second of all..."
"You don't want to."
"Right."
"Because you're angry at the English Ministry."
"Yes."
"That's awful spiteful of you Lucy."
"Well, aren't you mad at them?"
"Of course I am. But I don't think that everyone over there should suffer because of one executive decision that was obviously very difficult to make."
"So you think I should accept Dumbledore's proposal."
"No. I think you should train those students."
"But..."
"And you shouldn't tell the headmaster."
"Why not?"
"Because I think that this has become Espiritu's business, and not his."
"I'm confused Diego."
"It's simple, look at it this way. If Dumbledore had given you a list of names and you had tracked them down and put them in a room and got all their gifts under control, that would have been Dumbledore's plan. But that is not how Espiritu works, is it?"
"No."
"How does it work?"
"You're starting to sound like the professor," Lucy groaned.
"Just answer the question, trainee."
"Fine. Be more specific."
"How do students get invited to Espiritu?"
"They don't. That's why they still think of us as a slightly religiously affiliated school, because students find us, through some series of events students find there way to Espiritu to be taught. And some still think that is the will of the Four manifested on earth."
"Well, Lucy, maybe its me, but isn't that exactly what happened to you? You weren't seeking students, you made that clear to Dumbledore. But they found you."
"So this is the will of the Four?"
"Perhaps. And this would be a great opportunity for you, the one who wanted to ensure the survival of the Espiritu school, to do something about it. Teach our magic to another part of the world."
At that moment the Diego in the mirror turned around, and Lucy could hear loud voices shouting in Egyptian from the corridor behind him.
"What's that?"
"I don't know, and my Egyptian is pretty crummy, I've only been here two days."
"I thought you said it was an appallingly early hour?"
"It is, I don't know who that is, or what they are about, but I'm gonna go find out. If its interesting, I'll get back to you."
"Get back to me anyway."
"Good luck hermanita. I love you."
"Love you too, you better go before you miss them."
"Try not to get into too much trouble."
"You know me."
"That's what I'm worried about. Adios!"
With that the image rippled and faded and Lucy was left staring at her own reflection.
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She didn't sleep well that night, but in the morning she knew Diego had been right about at least one thing, she needed to do this. Not for Dumbledore or for the Ministry, but because untrained gifts manifesting in older trainees were dangerous, and for the other reason that she would be a hypocrite if she didn't do it.
She managed to slip notes to Rasheph and Lynx during breakfast, but since the strange girl from Slytherin hadn't asked her for help yet, she was going to have to try another way. And it was going to be a little disturbing.
She sat down next to Seamus, pretending to be listening to the endless debate over which feints needed to be practiced more, and searched the hall for the girl from Hagrid's class. She finally found her, a dark head of long hair sitting next to Pansy, leaning in to listen to a girl with very short red hair who was talking animatedly with her hands.
Lucy took a deep breath and tried to keep her 'head voice' light and friendly.
**So how long have you been able to do this?**
The girl sat straight up in her seat, knocking over a glass of orange juice. That instigated a flurry of questions from her peers, and she appeared to be muttering an apology as she cleaned up the mess.
**Sorry** Lucy tried to make her voice sound as guilty as she felt.
**Has it been long, or it this recent?**
The girl looked very confused.
She doesn't know how to answer, Lucy thought to herself.
**Right. Listen, you are not insane. If this has been going on for over a year rub your left eye, for less than a year rub your right.**
The girl paused for a moment, hesitating, then rubbed her right eye.
Lucy nodded to herself.
**OK, this is going to sound strange, but I can help you with this, if you want. I already promised to help two other people, you're not the only one this has happened to. Do you want any help with this? Lean your chin on your left hand for yes, on your right hand for no.**
The girl didn't hesitate this time, she leaned her chin on her left hand.
**Good. OK, we are meeting in the library, the grouping of chairs two rows down from the restricted section, at five o'clock this afternoon. Can you make that? Switch the hand you are leaning on for yes.**
The hand switched.
**I'll see you then.**
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Advanced Astronomy was one of Lucy's favorite classes, but today she couldn't help fidgeting. She had barely made it through potions without doing something to set Snape off, and right now she couldn't focus on the lecture about the Crab Nebula for more than five minutes at a time. She nearly jumped out of her seat when they were dismissed, which earned her a raised eyebrow from Professor Quark, and with an apologetic smile she raced out of the room.
She used every shortcut she knew to get back to Gryffindor tower without being trapped in the crush of students filling the halls, sprinting through the portrait hole and up the stairs to her room. She wasn't running because of he meeting this afternoon, although she was nervous about that, but she was expecting a message from Diego very soon, and didn't want to miss it.
But when she 'rang' the mirror at the Cairo school where he was staying, Diego didn't answer. He was supposed to have mirror duty until six o clock her time, but the person whose face appeared at the summons was an African girl with a thick accent.
"Yes, may I help you?"
"I'm looking for Diego Alvarez?"
"Alvarez? I'm sorry, no I don't know a Diego Alvarez."
"He just got there, he arrived on Sunday."
"Let me check the log book.....ah, yes, he was here."
"Was here?"
The girl looked uncomfortable, and kept looking over her shoulder.
"Yes, he's been moved, he was sent south with a bunch of pre-masters to the Sudan, to join the Sahara school."
"But he wasn't supposed to go there until mid-winter."
"Well, maybe they'll send him back, I'm sorry I don't know what else to tell you. And I really need to keep this connection open for urgent calls."
"Urgent? What's going on?"
The girl shrugged. "I have no idea. But between you, me, and the wall, something must have happened. There have been more people moving in and out of here than the downtown bazaar. Nothing tragic, nothing like last year, but they have something they're buzzing about all right. Now, if there isn't anything else, I really have to-"
"Yeah, yeah, I understand. Thanks a lot."
She dropped her spell line and the image blinked out. She wasn't worried, just aggravated. She hated being out of the loop. She decided she ought to try and look back over what she had failed to accomplish in Astronomy when she was jolted to attention by the sound of the door being slammed, hard.
Hermione stalked into the room and flung herself down on the bed, sitting up long enough to yank the curtains shut before Lucy heard her flop back down again.
"Um, Hermione...."
"I DON'T want to talk about it Lucy."
"Ok, then."
Sensing that the girl wanted to be alone, Lucy took her book down to the common room to study before she had to go to the library.
The first thing she noticed when she came down was Ron and Harry sitting down to play chess, but they hadn't touched their pieces. When Ron finally made a move his pawn was immediately dismembered by Harry's knight, and Ron didn't seem to mind in the least.
She made her way to the corner and sat down in a chair next to Seamus.
"How long have they been like that?"
"Not long. They just came in, with Hermione, but she marched straight upstairs without looking at either of 'em."
"Yeah, I saw her. Any idea what's going on?"
Seamus shook his head. "You ask, me they're all nuts. But you get used to it. I mean, it really isn't unusual for Harry, Ron, and Hermione to be acting strange. They've been conspiring on one thing or another every year they've been here."
Lucy nodded and opened her book, looking up occasionally with amusement to watch what could go down in record as the worst game of chess ever played in the Gryffindor common room. They were playing worse than she did, and that was saying something.
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When she made her way to the cluster of chairs in the library, Rasheph was already there.
"So you're really gonna do this, huh?"
Lucy shook her head. "WE are really gonna do this. I'm not exactly a teacher, we're going to have to hope we'll be able to help each other."
Rasheph nodded. At that moment Lynx came around the bookshelf and dropped down.
"It's an awful public place Lucy... oh hello." He extended his hand towards Rasheph "Brimstead, Lynx Brimstead."
Rasheph stood and shook his hand. "Radu, Rasheph Radu." He looked studied Lynx closely for a minute. "You're a Hufflepuff, right?"
Lynx nodded. "Got me there, fifth year. I'm one of the alternate keepers for the Quidditch team this year too. And you are a..."
"Ravenclaw. Sixth year-"
"And a prefect!" Lucy had suddenly noticed Rasheph's badge. "I didn't notice that before. You better realize now Rasheph that you are officially off duty during these meetings."
The Indian boy grinned. "Not to worry. We aren't all angels you know. Not all prefects live their lives by the book."
"Hermione sure does," Lucy mumbled.
Lynx looked around, "So, are we going to get started or what?"
"Actually, there should be-"
"Is this where I'm supposed to be?" A head of long black hair peered around the bookcase.
Lucy grinned, "Yeah, you're in the right place. I'm Lucy Montero, and this is Lynx Brimstead and Rasheph Radu. They're the others I was telling you about. And, I'm sorry, I don't know your name..."
"Oh, I'm Bethany, Bethany Tsepish. People just call me Bet though"
"Pleased to meet you."
"Hi."
The new girl looked around uncomfortably. "So, um, which houses are you in?"
"Gryffindor."
"Ravenclaw."
"Hufflepuff."
"Which house are you in?" Lynx asked.
"Slytherin."
Silence from the two boys. Lucy gulped, maybe she should have mentioned that fact sooner.
That was when Bet rolled her eyes and dropped down in a chair. "You know, its not like I'm going to hex you on the spot or anything."
The boys looked sheepish. Lucy grinned. "Sorry, I guess we didn't realize..."
"No one ever does," Bet groaned. "But you try being despised for six years, it gets real old, real fast. And its not like I've ever done anything REALLY awful."
"So those rumors about ritualistic sacrifices of first years aren't true?"
"And the drinking of snake blood as an initiation rite?"
"The monthly Slytherin orgies?"
Bet just leaned back in her chair with a satisfied smile on her face. "I'll never tell."'
The rest of them burst into laughter, only to be hushed by Madam Pince, who was four rows away.
"I think," Lucy recovered, "The first order of business should be to adjourn to someplace a little less conspicuous."
"No argument here," Lynx grinned.
They filed out of the library and up the main stairs. Lucy was picking her route fairly carefully. She was pretty sure she could trust the other three, but she didn't want to be wrong and have them know all the tunnels she had found using Asriel's old maps. She stuck to main corridors, taking the long way to where she was headed, a small and unused classroom not far from the base of the divination stairs, rather than taking shortcuts through the walls. When she finally got to that hall she counted three pictures frames and pulled on the fourth, which swung open. Another blessing was that most of the paintings in this hall were landscapes, except the picture of some headmaster's twin children, painted well over 150 years ago, and they generally found themselves more interesting than anything else; in other words, no one was there to see anything. Through the hole behind the painting they traveled a short hallway and emerged in the hall beyond. This was a lightly trafficked hallway, but to get to it the normal way led right past the hallway Filche's office was on, and Lucy wanted to avoid that.
Two doors down she found the door she was looking for, unlocked, as usual, and she went in.
"Where are we?" Rasheph looked around, "I can't even keep it straight what side of the castle we're on."
"I know WHAT it is," Lynx groaned, looking around at the books on the shelves, the cabinet with neatly labeled materials, the cauldrons lined up on the top of the bookcase. "It's one of the OWL prep rooms for this year. Open all day, you can even get passes with special permission to stay here all night, see the pillows? Percival Norman, he's got the bed next to mine, he's been in the one near our common room all this afternoon, and its still the first week of school." He shuddered. "Do we have to study here Lucy?"
Lucy shook her head. "We're not, but I don't know another way in yet."
"In where?"
But Lucy was already heading toward the fireplace, crawling on her hands and knees in the soot, and looking around the edge. She looked at the piece of paper in her hand, than smacked herself in the forehead. "They drew the room upside down."
She crossed to the other side of the room, shoved a trunk out of the way, and pulled back part of the rug that covered the floor. The stone underneath had a small ring on it, she pulled. And pulled. Nothing.
"Damn."
She heard a snort from behind her, and looked up at Rasheph.
"What do you have to say sir?"
He shook his head. "Well, I know you're being real nice to help me and all, but Lucy, are you a witch or aren't you?"
He muttered something she couldn't make out while swishing his wand toward the trapdoor. Then he lazily bent down and pulled it open.
"Aren't we the clever one?" Lucy raised her eyebrow and peered into the dark, then dropped down.
"Well, come on! And pull the rug shut behind you!"
The trapdoor led to narrow spiraling staircase inside the walls. They followed it down to a carved wooden door, which was unlocked, leading them into a small room with several arm chairs and a low table near a fireplace.
"Where are we now?"
Lucy shrugged, "I have no clue. This was the old 7th year gentlemen's prefects lounge, cerca the 1970's, when the lounges were still single sex. No one uses it anymore because its so out of the way. That room above was an old prefect's study. I hear the new ones are much nicer."
"They are," Rasheph ran a finger over the dust on the mantle. "Could it have taken any longer to get here though?"
Lucy shrugged, "My sources didn't tell me the direct way, but that's pretty easy to find out. The door's over there."
She pointed to a door across the room. Lynx went and opened it, looking around carefully, before darting out and returning grinning like an idiot.
"Well," Bet asked, "What's out there?"
He shrugged, "Just the place any red blooded male would want outside his study. It's the kitchens!"
At this Rasheph leaped up and sprinted out to verify this fact for himself, returing with a similar dreamy expression.
Bet snorted. "Men."
Lucy shook her head, "There has to be another way in."
While the boys salivated, the girls combed the floor and the walls for a possible exit, until Bet shoved the bookcase into the wall, where it kept moving back, revealing a small alcove, with a door to the left, and a door to the right.
They looked at each other. Lucy went left, Bet went right.
Bet came back quickly, a small smile on her face.
"What?" Lynx asked.
She grinned, "Well, I know where I was, so I'm guessing where Lucy is."
That was when they heard a shriek echo and Lucy came running back in.
"Ewwwwwwwww!"
She stood there sputtering and making absolutely no sense.
"Bet, where were YOU?"
She grinned, "I came out in the girls toilet, floor below the great hall. Which means Lucy was in the-"
"That was the most foul thing I ever saw in my life! How do you handle the smell?" Lucy came stumbling back through the door, gasping for air.
Lynx and Rasheph just looked at each other and collapsed in a heap laughing. Lucy was not amused.
"Why was there an entrance from the girls room? What kind of sick people were prefects in those days? Ewwww, I am traumatized for life!"
Bet helped Lucy to a chair, where she sank down. "So very not funny. But at least we have a better way in now."
"Couldn't anyone find it?"
Lucy shook her head. "Not unless anyone ever tried to move a toilet before. I don't think I'm going to like that part."
The boys calmed themselves and the four settled themselves in chairs around the table.
"So," Lynx began, "How exactly are we going to do this?"
They stared at each other uneasily.
"Well," Lucy had recovered her composure, "I guess the first order of business would be to decide WHO you want to know about this."
"Does anyone else know right now?"
"No one at Hogwarts."
The small sighs of relief that escaped the other three were not beyond Lucy's notice.
"I take it that you want to keep this discreet?"
Bet nodded, looking at Lynx and Rasheph with a similar look of fear, they were also nodding.
"No offense Lucy, but, well-"
"I mean this just isn't DONE-"
"If anyone in Slytherin knew..."
Lucy nodded. "Well I pretty much expected that. I think I only know of one person who would choose to have this whole thing made public.... anyhow..."
At that point Lynx's stomach started to rumble, along with Rasheph's. Lucy couldn't help but giggle and Bet joined in.
"Maybe we better start work next time."
"Good idea."
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"Stop fidgeting."
"I'm not fidgeting."
"Come off it, you're making ME antsy just looking at you, now cut it out."
"Fine." Lucy gave Ron a nasty look and sat on her left hand to keep it from drumming on the table, crossed her ankles to keep her legs from swinging, and tried to concentrate on the baked potato in front of her. It had been almost two weeks since their conversation had been interrupted and she still hadn't heard any news from Diego yet. She knew he was fine, she'd know if he wasn't, but it was killing her not to know what was going on in HER wizarding world.
By now everyone at Hogwarts knew what had happened in THEIR world. Fudge had sent another set of reserves to Azkaban to try and break the dementors' hold on the prison. It had been the largest addition of manpower since the summer. Lucy had heard it first in a note from Marguerite shortly after dinner on Thursday. Parker's sister had been outside of Azkaban with the Ministry effort since July, and his brother had just been sent out Sunday night. An express owl had arrived Monday during lunch, and it was that news that had caused the kind hearted first year to hole himself up all afternoon. The Marguerite had wormed it out of him after an hour or two, and had him more or less dealing well with the whole situation. Lucy reminded herself she ought to pay them a visit sometime over the weekend.
But Lucy wasn't the only one who's mind was clearly occupied elsewhere at the Gryffindor table that night. Hermione had that look that only came over her face when she was mentally reading through the library card catalogue, planning what looked to be a lengthy expedition. Ron was fruitlessly trying to engage her in conversation. Harry was also looking preoccupied, although it could as easily have been Quidditch or Voldemort, she wasn't very good at reading Harry, and she wasn't curious enough to be tempted to glean his actual thoughts.
Besides, she knew better than to try and discern what was going on with those three. Seamus had told her, and she had seen for herself, that some things never left their little circle. And they were probably things she didn't want to know about anyway. As it was she was one of the few people outside the group who knew about Sirius Black's true existence, but that was more due to an accident and Harry being too kind a person to perform a memory charm than anything else. So for the moment she actually listened to Ron and stopped her fidgeting, stabbing her potato with a force that caused Seamus to glance at her from his place across the table, raise a single questioning eyebrow, and return to his meal. Lucy didn't care, it was the safest avenue to vent her aggression, all things considering.
*****Me talking. Sorry to be so long in getting this out, college is kind of not being so fun right now. Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks to those of you that review. Oh, and if you wanted to know, Bet's last name, Tsepish, isn't pronounced 'Zepish', its more like if you said the word 'cats' and you took that last 'ts' sound and began the word with that. Sorry, I just got out of a linguistics course, so I still have all that stuff on the brain.*******