Chapter 29 - The Beast
Barney stood in stunned shock in front of the portrait of Vitorious and Eleanor Nevermore as Binns rambled on about the couple. It was only when Viola grabbed his arm and made excuses to Binns that they had to leave and get to dinner that Barney finally snapped out of it.
"I swear that man could bore you to death," Viola joked as they rounded the corner, but Barney didn't hear, he was still thinking about Eleanor.
He could have sworn he had never seen that portrait before in his life or any other portrait of her before, yet somehow he had managed to see her as clear as day in his vision. How was his mind able to do that with no reference to her? Had it actually just been a vision in his mind?
"At least we know the next number in the sequence now," Viola continued. "So what are you waiting for? Write it down and lets see what's on the page."
Barney and Viola ducked into an empty classroom and Barney fetched the journal, his quill and some ink from his bag and turned to the page with the number sequence on and wrote a '7' next to it. Slowly the page started to fill with words and they both silently read -
My dear Eleanor is still in mourning for Samuel. I thought with time she would have moved on but every day she seems to sink deeper and deeper into a depression. But after my recent breakthrough with the stone I think there may be a way I can help. Though I can't use the stone to change the past or to give her what she wants in this world, what the stone can actually do might be the best possible answer. I can use the stone to give her the life that she wants. Though it will mean losing her, her happiness is all that matters. In all probability she won't even remember me but she will get to live a happy life for all eternity. And though I will have to deal with the consequences of all of this, I'm sure I can keep her safe and keep her a secret so that she will never be unhappy again.
"Well that was a waste of time. It doesn't tell us anything," Viola fumed as she looked up from the page to see Barney still staring at it.
But to Barney what he had just read was helping him to make sense of everything that had happened and it explained just exactly what his vision had been.
"Come on or we'll be late for dinner," Viola said but Barney was in a trance. "What is it? Are you still thinking about Tabitha and Hamish?"
Barney had almost completely forgotten about that but Viola's reminder snapped him out of his thoughts. What was he to do? He knew he had to tell Tabitha. But how could he prove that Hamish had been kissing someone else and not damage his friendship with her?
He stuffed his belongings back in his bag and joined Viola as they headed down to the Great Hall.
As soon as they entered, Barney turned to the Hufflepuff table and saw Tabitha sitting next to Hamish. They were laughing with their friends around them and it made Barney's blood boil knowing the truth.
"Trust me Barney. If you tell her now it won't end well," Viola said as she watched him staring before heading over to the Hufflepuff table herself.
Barney stood there still staring for a moment more until a seventh year Slytherin walked past him and put their arm around his shoulder and guided his towards their table, all the while praising him for his heroic performance from weeks ago, though Barney wasn't listening in the slightest.
As the other students ate around him, Barney didn't have much of an appetite. All he could think about was Tabitha and wanting to punch Hamish in the face, he didn't even care if it got him expelled. It would be worth it.
After dinner the Slytherins, who had spent most of the meal still talking about the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff, were determined to get Barney to re-enact his performance of catching the Golden Snitch out on the practice lawns, despite the fact he had told the story many times now of how he had done it. As much as he liked the adulation the Slytherins were giving him especially when he thought back to his first year at Hogwarts when all they all hated him, it was beginning to wear a bit thin now.
Barney watched as Tabitha left the Great Hall with Hamish and her friends. "I've got something I need to do first," he said as he jumped up and followed them into the corridor and raced through the crowd to catch up with them.
"Hey Tabs wait up!" Barney called out across the noise of all the students in the corridor.
Tabitha turned round and so did Viola, who had a look of someone who thought they knew better and gave Barney a stern stare.
"Hey," Tabitha replied as Barney caught up to her.
Barney stopped in his tracks as he realised Hamish was right next to her holding her hand. "Can we go talk somewhere?"
"What about? I have an essay for History of Magic that I need to get back to my dorm and finish."
"Yeah I don't think now is a good time," Viola interrupted before Barney could answer and Tabitha turned to look at her before looking back to Barney.
"Is this about the journal?" she said lowering her voice and moving her head closer to Barney's ear. "Have you found out something new?"
"Can we just go talk?"
"OK sure. You don't mind taking my things back to the common room do you?" Tabitha said as she let go of Hamish's hand and held her bag up towards him.
Hamish looked annoyed and Barney was glad as he took the bag grudgingly and headed off to the Hufflepuff common room alone.
"I'll come with you if you don't mind," Viola said to Barney and Tabitha, not waiting to be asked.
Barney didn't know if that was a good thing or not. Was she going to try to talk him out of telling her or would she help and back up his story?
The three of them headed against the flow of students and made their way outside. It was a warm summer's evening and it was still light out as they headed towards the lake.
"So what did you find out from the journal?" Tabitha asked as they walked.
"It's not about the journal," Barney replied and Viola was already feeling extremely awkward at what was about to happen.
"What is it then?"
"Well it's about Hamish," he replied.
"Barney you can't say I'm spending too much time with him and neglecting my friends again. He is my boyfriend. I have to spend some time with him," she protested.
"No it's not that, it's just..."
"Just what?" Tabitha asked as Barney struggled to find his words.
"Well I saw him earlier."
"And?"
"He was with someone."
"Who?" Tabitha said, wishing Barney would just get to the point.
"I don't know."
"OK so what exactly is the problem?" she said, sounding a little annoyed as she thought her time was being wasted when she had an essay to finish.
"It's more what they were doing."
Tabitha stopped dead. "What were they doing?" she asked as her mind began to race but Barney couldn't bring himself to answer so Viola helped out.
"From where we were it looked like he was giving her a dental exam with his tongue."
Barney thought she could have been more tactful but at least she got the point across.
Tabitha didn't know how to respond and stood there with her mouth open wide in shock before she finally found some words to stay. "No you must have been mistaken. He wouldn't do that."
"It was him. He was in his Quidditch robes and I recognised his hair," Barney replied.
"So you didn't actually see his face?" she said, trying to make sense of it all.
"No but it was him. I'm sure of it."
"You've never liked us being together have you?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Barney snapped back.
"Just that you'd like to see us break up wouldn't you?"
"Tabitha I'm not making this up. Viola saw them too."
Tabitha turned to Viola who solemnly nodded in agreement.
"If you don't believe me why don't you ask him and see if he denies it," Barney suggested but knew he probably would just deny it if confronted about it. He'd have to be an idiot to just admit to it when there wasn't even any proof.
As if by magic, Hamish appeared behind them.
"I saw you heading down here out the window. I thought I'd check everything is OK?" Hamish said as he stood there and Barney wondered if he'd heard any of their conversation. "What's going on?"
"Barney said he saw you kissing someone else. Is that true?"
"What?! of course not," Hamish protested. "Why would you say a thing like that?" he said as he turned to Barney, looking exceedingly angry.
"Because it's what I saw," Barney replied resolutely.
"Well you're mistaken!"
"I saw you too," Viola added and Barney was now glad she came to back him up.
"Honestly Tabitha it's not true. You're not going to believe his word over mine are you?" Hamish pleaded with an aggressive point at Barney.
Tabitha turned from her boyfriend, who she'd been with for less than a year, and looked at Barney, who had been one of her closest friends since she first started Hogwarts. As she thought about who she trusted the most and who she believed there was no contest. "Yes I do believe him. Barney has always looked out for me. I trust him more than anyone."
"You're going to take his word over your own boyfriend?" Hamish fumed.
"No because you're not my boyfriend any more. We're finished," Tabitha said in a surprising calm manner and Barney could have sworn he saw a little smile on her face as if a big weight had been lifted from her.
"Fine go off with your friends then! I was going to dump you when term was over anyway. And for the record she was a much better kisser than you were anyway!" Hamish vented before turning and storming back to the castle.
"What a thoroughly vile man," Viola said to break the silence and Barney noticed Tabitha was no longer looking pleased with herself.
"Are you OK?" he asked her, pretty sure that he could see tears welling up in her eyes.
"Yeah I'm fine. I just need some time alone," she replied and started to walk down towards the greenhouses and Barney and Viola watched her leave.
"Come on we should head back to the castle," Barney suggested as he still watched Tabitha disappear into the distance.
"Are you stupid?" Viola said in a condescending manner. "You need to go after her."
"But she just said she wanted to be alone."
"What a girl says she wants and what she really wants are two different things. Right now she needs a friend. And anyway it's nearly sundown and she shouldn't be outside alone."
Barney didn't need telling twice and he began to head off in the direction Tabitha had gone.
When Barney got to the greenhouses he couldn't see Tabitha but he could hear her. He peered around the side of one of them and found her sat on the grass with her back against the glass of the greenhouse and she was crying.
Barney came and sat down beside her, wishing he knew a spell to conjure up a tissue. "I'm sorry about that," he said and put an arm round her to comfort her.
Tabitha rested her head on his shoulder. "It's not your fault. I'm just glad I finally found out what he's really like."
"Well at least in a weeks time you won't ever have to see him again when he graduates."
"Can't come soon enough," she joked and Barney was glad to hear a little laugh from her.
"We should probably get back to the castle before it gets dark," Barney said but before either of them could say anything else they heard the door to the greenhouse slam shut.
Barney raised himself on to his knees and turned around and looked into the greenhouse. Through all the plants he could just about see Ottomaya in there. She appeared to be alone.
"Who is it?" Tabitha said in a hushed voice.
"It's Ottomaya."
"What's she doing?"
"I don't..." before Barney could answer he was left speechless as he saw what unfolded.
Barney watched through the dirty glass of the greenhouse as inside Ottomaya began to transform, though not into a crow but into a massive black form as big as a bear with blood red eyes and two giant fangs. She had just turned into the beast.