Chapter 5: Of Tutors and Quidditch

Sairina was let out of the hospital wing the following morning and made her way alone to the Great Hall for breakfast. She looked completely miserable, like death warmed over. Her robes were wrinkled and disheveled, her normally smooth black locks were askew and straying from her braid, and her eyes were red and puffy like she had been crying nonstop since the incident. She collapsed down at the Ravenclaw table and weakly piled food onto her plate. She had zoned the world out, imaging the events of the previous day.

That's why she didn't realize someone had sat down next to her and was attempting to make conversation.

"Beg pardon?" she said finally snapping back to reality. She saw that it was William Clearwater, the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain, who was attempting to engage with her.

"Are you feeling alright, Sai?" he asked gently pushing some of the hair out of her face, "I don't want my star chaser getting sick on me as practices start."

"Sorry, Iam," she murmured, "I just had a bad day yesterday, that's all. I'm just still recovering." He nodded sympathetically.

"I heard," he said patting her on the shoulder, "If you ever need to talk, you know I'm here for you. So as I was saying, practice tomorrow night at 6:45." He patted her shoulder once more before getting up to talk to some of the other players. Sairina sighed and pushed her food around her plate.

"You realize you're supposed to eat it, not play with it."

Sairina turned and saw Remus standing with his arms crossed with a smirk on his face. Sairina groaned inwardly as he sat beside her. He stared at her intently.

"If you want me to bow at your feet and worship you, Marauder, because of yesterday," she said coldly turning to glare at him, "you have got another thing coming."

"I highly doubt that, Sai," he said, "Surprisingly I'm not here to gloat in glory, but to offer you help," she looked curiously at him, "After yesterday's DADA lesson, Professor Ambrose has asked me to tutor you in the subject." She chuckled bitterly.

"So you want to essentially tell me how bad I am and prove that you are better?" she asked harshly. Amazingly he shook his head.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts is important," he explained seriously, "especially in these times of growing turmoil and the presence of Lord Voldemort, and it is important for you to know how to defend yourself. I won't always be there to protect you," he added cheekily. Sairina slapped him harshly on the arm and rolled her eyes.

"Fine," she gave in, "I'll do it. When are these lessons going to be?" Remus smiled.

"The day of the week will vary depending on our different schedules, you with your quidditch and me with my con . . . yea . . . anyways how about tomorrow night," Remus could have kicked himself. He couldn't believe that he had almost said 'his condition'; there was just something about Sairina that made him drop his defenses.

"I can't," she said, "Quidditch tomorrow. How about tonight?" Remus thought for a moment.

"I believe that will work," he said scratching the back of his head, "How about seven 'o' clock, in the DADA room."

"Sounds fine to me," Sairina replied, "See you then, Remmy." He smiled. Normally he hated when most people called him that, but again, Sairina wasn't 'most people' to him.

"Until then, Sai," he said standing up and gave a little flourished bow which made Sairina laugh and went back to the Gryffindor table.

/0/0/

"Tell me what Remus was talking to you about this morning," Lily demanded. The friends were on their way to Ancient Runes. Sairina blushed slightly and glared at Lily.

"I think you're blowing the whole thing out of proportion," she said continuing to glare at her friend. Lily laughed lightly.

"Come on, I know you fancy him," Lily teased and Sairina snorted indignantly.

"If that be the case, then you do as well," Sairina retorted. The girls had decided at the start of the term that Remus was the most tolerable of the four Marauders. They each delighted in teasing the other about liking him.

"Just tell me," Lily whined.

"Alright, alright," Sairina sighed, "Remus is going to be tutoring me in DADA after my pathetic display in class yesterday," she shivered and caught Lily's knowing gaze, "No; it wasn't by my choice or his. Professor Ambrose asked him to do it." The girls entered the Ancient Runes classroom and set their books down at their usual table and sat down.

"You know," Lily said haughtily, "you are going to savor every moment of that tutoring session." Sairina rolled her eyes and let out another unladylike snort.

"I'm sure," she replied sarcastically.

/0/0/

"Why were you talking to Telcontar this morning?" James demanded glaring at the mild mannered Marauder. Remus shrugged and Sirius snorted.

"Oh don't give us that innocent act, we know you're up to something," Sirius scoffed. The four boys were on their way to Divination as the interrogation went on.

"I'll bet he fancies her," Peter giggled in a nasally tone. Remus glared at him and his normally alabaster cheeks became tinted with pink.

"I don't believe it," James said wide-eyed while Sirius clapped Remus on the shoulder.

"Our little Lupin is growing up," Sirius exclaimed wiping an imaginary tear from his eye, "Just let me know if you need any tips, if you know what I mean."

"Oh lay off, will you?" Remus growled, "It's none of your business if I fancy her or not. If I did, and I'm not saying I do, I would certainly not ask for advice from any of you."

"What do you mean by that?" James asked, hurt by his friend's response.

"Look at you!" Remus exclaimed, "You torment the girl you claim to love, and Sirius flirts with anything that walks on two legs and possesses the ability to talk! Peter can't even speak when there is a girl within ten feet of him! No, if I did like Sai, I would woo her in my own way without help from any of you!" Remus had worked himself up so much that he was gasping for air like he had just run a marathon. The others gave him dumbfounded looks.

"Wow, Remus," James said trailing off; there was true hurt in his voice. Remus sighed deeply and rubbed his temples.

"Look, mates," he said softly, "I'm sorry. It's just that . . ." he lowered his voice, "the full moon is coming up in a few days, and I just tend to get a little . . . irritable. I didn't mean it," his friends nodded sympathetically, "And the reason why I was talking to Sai this morning was because Professor Ambrose asked me to tutor her in DADA after her incident in class yesterday, remember? You know that she is really struggling with the basics." Again his friends nodded and they continued to amble slowly towards the silver ladder that would lead them up to the Divination classroom.

/0/0/

The day went too quickly for Sairina. Way too quickly. Before she knew it, it was six fifty-five and she was leaving the comfort of the Ravenclaw common room and making her way towards the defense classroom. Upon arriving she saw that she had beat Remus there and flopped down at a desk in a lazy manner. Letting out a tired sigh she swung her feet up onto the tabletop in front of the bench she was seated at.

"Comfortable, are we?" a familiar voice said from the doorway. Sairina turned and glared at the speaker.

"Ha, ha, ha, you're a riot Remmy," Sairina said lowering her feet to stand and face him. As she did so, she noticed that his normally neat appearance was slightly disheveled. He no longer wore the required knit vest, his white shirt was untucked with the top two buttons undone and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, his tie laid still around his neck but completely undone and hung like a limp noodle, and he had his outer black robed laid over his forearm. To sum it up, he looked ruggedly handsome to Sairina.

I did not just think that, she thought and scolded herself, He is your tutor and a Marauder to boot. Do not think of him as anything desirable.

/0/0/

When Remus had entered the room he was greeted with the sight of Sairina lounging at a desk with her feet up on the table top. Her slender, well-defined legs were exposed up to the point where her skirt fell and practically glowed in the soft candle light, her midnight hair which was normally tied up in a tight bun was free and flowed down her shoulders, her uniform wasn't as messy as his, but she wasn't wearing the usual vest, and her tie was loosened and hung down slightly from its usual position. All in all, she looked ravishingly beautiful to Remus.

Then he just had to ruin the moment.

"Comfortable, are we?" he asked smugly and she turned to face him

"Ha, ha, ha, you're a riot Remmy," she said standing up and facing him, "Shall we begin?" He nodded and motioned for Sairina to sit back down. She did and Remus pulled up another chair and sat across the table from her.

"Let's start by having you tell me what you are having trouble with," he said looking her dead square in the eyes.

"Everything DADA related," Sairina replied sarcastically. Remus rolled his eyes.

"You have to be willing to learn, Sai," he said seriously, "or I can't teach you." He started to stand to go, but Sairina caught his arm.

"I'm sorry," she said and Remus sat back down and waited for her answer. "It's just that . . . how to explain . . . you know I come from a non wizarding family right?" Remus nodded, "And that I'm originally not from these parts, right?" Again, Remus nodded, "Well, where I come from, the only evil can be found in the corrupted hearts of men. There are no creatures whose sole purpose is to cause turmoil and grief. I know you might think that living in a non wizarding community, there would be no such creatures lest the muggle world find out about magic, but where I come from is . . . different.

"At one point, there were creatures who sought to destroy the community that I live in now. They were evil beings through and through, but some how, the people beat their kind down and defeated them. This all happened before I was born, and the few creatures that were left went into hiding or have been hunted down. So really, what I'm trying to say is, I don't understand how something can be born evil. The only evil I know has been caused by corruption or greed or some other vice. I try to see the good in everything, and I can't imagine something being completely evil by nature." Remus seemed to let out a sigh of relief.

"Sai, there is nothing wrong with wanting to see the good in everything," Remus said smiling, "but you need to accept the idea that there are some things that are purely evil. I don't think I've ever heard of a battle like that in a muggle community with magical creatures . . . where did you say it was again?" He knew from the other day that the answer was Middle-Earth. Where or what it was, he didn't know. He was trying to catch Sairina in a lie.

"I didn't," Sairina said quickly covering her near slip of something of her true self, "and besides it's nothing of consequence. The battle is done and over. We're here to improve my defense skills." Remus nodded, unsure of why she was trying to hide who she is.

"Right, then," he said standing up and motioning for Sairina to follow, "how about we start with the simple knockback jinx. Now follow my movements." With a sharp sweeping motion Reums shouted, "Flipendo!" The chair he was aiming at was knocked back several feet. He looked at Sairina, "It's similar to the levitating spell in technique, but it helps if you think about throwing something across the room. You give it a try."

Sairina stepped forward and raised her wand. Taking a deep breath she copied Remus' movement and shouted, "Flipendo!" Not surprisingly to her, but apparently to Remus, the chair she was aiming for didn't budge. She let out a frustrated sigh and turned to him. He smiled weakly and urged her to try again. She did, and again the chair remained in its original spot.

"Try doing the movement like this," Remus said and demonstrated once more the proper wand movements, and Sairina copied, "Almost, but here, I see what you are doing wrong." He set his wand on a table and stood behind Sairina. Gently placing one hand on her waist and grasping the wrist of her wand arm with the other, he guided her through the movements.

"Your movements were far too angular," he murmured into her ear and continued to guide her arm, "They need to be sharp yet sweeping." He took a step back, "Now give it a try."

"Flipendo!" Sairina shouted and to her surprise the chair moved . . . about an inch. She smiled weakly, "Sadly, that is the most damage I have ever done with this spell . . . ever." This cause Remus to laugh heartily, and his laugh was rusty and deep, like fallen leaves being blown in an autumn breeze.

"Try putting a little more emotion behind it, Sai," Remus said, "Pretend that it's Sirius and he just made a major pass at you." A vindictive smile spread across her face as she raised her wand.

"Flipendo!" she roared and the chair went sailing across the room and crashed into the far wall shattering into hundreds of pieces. This caused Remus to laugh even harder.

"I'll have to remind him to never hit on you," he said between laughs. Once his laughter subsided he had Sairina continue to practice the spell, and she improved each time. Finally, he looked at his watch, "Amazing, it's eight already. I think that's enough for one night; when would you like for the next lesson to be?"

"I'll have to check with Iam about our practice schedule," Sairina said, "but I was thinking maybe the same time next week." Remus nodded as the two students walked towards the door, "I suppose I should thank you, Remmy, for doing this." She was thankful the light was dim because she could feel a blush rising to her cheeks, "Thanks."

"It's not a problem at all, really," he said and flashed a smile that could only be described as wolfish, "Would you like me to escort you back to your common room?" Sairina looked taken aback and floundered for an answer.

"Um . . . uh . . . thank you, but no," she said finally, "I believe that I can make it back on my own. Good night, Remus." She turned sharply and walked down the hall, her footsteps resounding in the silence. Remus sighed dreamily, and then cursed himself. She had called him 'Remus', not 'Remmy' like she had done moments before.

One step forward, and two steps back, genius, he thought bitterly before going in the direction of the Gryffindor common room.

/0/0/

Time flew by quickly for the students of Hogwarts. Autumn got a frigid nip in the air, but the castle stayed warm and inviting. The air was also charged with excitement because it was a beautiful Saturday, and it was the day of the first Quidditch match, Ravenclaw versus Slytherin. Sairina sat at her house table with the rest of her team, her stomach was tied into knots. Not only was she going to be play the single most aggressive team in the school, her parents and several other high ranking lords and ladies would be coming to watch.

She had a feeling that if her parents had any say whatsoever, she wouldn't be playing Quidditch after today.

The support from the other houses was tremendous. Both Gryffindor and Hufflepuff abandoned their normal house colors for Ravenclaw's blue and white. It warmed Sairina's heart, but did little to ease the glares coming from the Slytherin table. During the past few weeks, there were several attempts to injure the players on the Ravenclaw team. No attempt was successful, and it only resulted in several detentions and about 250 points lost from Slytherin's total house points.

Sairina stared at her plate and pushed her food around aimlessly. She couldn't eat a thing because her stomach was so tight. She sighed and pushed her plate aside.

"What's wrong, Telcontar?" Iam asked worriedly in full Quidditch mode, "You need to eat so you'll have strength to play." He pushed her plate back towards her. She pushed it away again.

"I'll be fine," she assured him and stretched. She then felt someone tap her lightly on her shoulder.

"Miss Telcontar, we need to have a word," she turned and saw Professor Dumbledore behind her. She smiled, bid her teammates farewell, and left with the professor. They carefully made their way up to the eighth floor corridor and to the large mirror at the end of it; there Sairina said the password and the mirror opened up revealing a large number of people waiting in her room. Her father and mother were the first to step through, then the Trastahíl (to Sairina's great dismay), then Legolas and Gimli, and finally an assortment of nobles, lords, and ladies.

Sairina groaned inwardly when she saw that Lord Gange was among the number attending the match. Sairina and he had a mutual hate-hate relationship. He didn't like the fact that she was a witch and the thought that she hadn't fulfilled her "princessly" duties by marrying some lord's son and bearing him many heirs. He did not like the idea of a woman possessing knowledge to any extent. She though he was a stupid, old-fashioned git. So it surprised her greatly to see that he was there.

In all honesty, he scared her slightly. He always seemed to be brooding and his slightly tanned complexion was always clouded over with thought. Her dark eyes seemed to follow her every move, and he seemed to stick to the shadows when he walked about the tower. Shrugging the sinking feeling off she tuned in to what her father and Dumbledore were talking about.

"How is it?" her father asked lowly. Sairina knew what it was. It was the palantír, the seeing stone that was hidden here. She knew her father had been worrying about it as of late.

"It's safe and sound," Dumbledore reassured him with a pat on the shoulder. It was then that Sairina noticed a smile spread across Lord Gange's face. She knew he was up to something.

"You had best be going to get ready," Dumbledore said shattering Sairina's thoughts. She nodded quickly and bid her mother and father good-bye before heading out to the Quidditch pitch.

/0/0/

Sairina was sitting in the Ravenclaw locker room with the rest of her teammates. Iam had just finished his usual pep talk and last minute planning. The sat and listened to the hundreds of feet above them pounding as students filled the stands. Calm had settled over Sairina, she just wanted to play.

"Let's go," Iam said finally picking up his broom. The rest of the team followed his movements and filed out of the locker room. They made their way to the opening to the field and listened as the announcer did his introduction.

"Welcome, ladies, gentlemen, professors, and students," his voice roared over the crowd, "This is Samuel Jordan, and I'll be your announcer for a seventh and final year . . . we've had some good times haven't we Professor McGonagall?"

"Just announce the players already," she growled and Jordan laughed.

"Always straight to the point," he said, "Anyways . . . Today's exciting match is between Ravenclaw and Slytherin! Let's bring them out! For Slytherin playing today are Goyle, Crabbe, McDuff, Cobb, Malfoy, Hampton, and Flint!" The Slytherin team flew out to some cheer from their own house, but a loud boo from the rest of the school.

"And playing for Ravenclaw today are Baine, Dunham, Winterton, Telcontar, Flaherty, Rye, and Clearwater!" The crowd roared as the seven teens from Ravenclaw flew from their holding area and did a few laps around the field. The steady chant of 'Ravenclaw' echoed and pounded in Sairina's ears. She loved every moment of Quidditch.

After their brief warm-up laps both teams were on the ground in the middle of the pitch. Iam and Gregory Flint were standing by Madame Hooch. Iam stuck out his hand.

"I want a fair and clean game from both teams," she said harshly glaring at both of the boys, Flint still unwilling to shake Iam's hand.

"Oh, c'mon Flint," Sam Jordan wailed into the magic megaphone, "What are you afraid of?" They shook and everyone mounted their brooms. Madame Hooch blew her whistle and the teams kicked off as the balls were released, "Let the game begin!" Jordan shouted.

"Ravenclaw takes first possession of the quaffle in this game," Sam's commentary rattled on, "Baine to Dunham back to Baine. Excellent dodge from that bludger by Baine . . . stupid Slytherin beater . . . Baine to Telcontar . . . Telcontar to Dunham . . . SCORE!" The crowd burst into cheers as Rick Dunham scored the first goal. Iam swooped down from his seeker position and quickly shouted some instructions for defense and went back to looking for the snitch.

"And Slytherin is in possession . . . Cobb to Hampton . . . Hampton to . . . INTERCEPTION by the tantalizing Telcontar! She is tearing down to field with no one in her way. OH! That was a close dodge form that bludger she shoots . . . GOAL BY TELCONTAR! The score is twenty to zero with Ravenclaw setting up for a good lead."

Sairina began to move into position when she felt a harsh shove that sent her spinning.

"FOUL!" roared Madame Hooch and the crowd booed the Slytherin.

"A disgusting display on the part of Skyler Cobb, you stupid prat," Professor McGonagall made a grab for the megaphone, but Sam easily dodged, "Score! The score is now thirty to zero."

The game toiled on for a long time, and with the more time that passed it was apparent that the Slytherins were getting desperate. Their offense was nonexistent while Ravenclaw had an amazing defense backed up by an equally strong offense. Before Slytherin realized it the score quickly climbed to 90 to 0.

That was when the game really took a turn for the worse.

The fouls on the Ravenclaw chasers kept coming, many of them were aimed at the youngest and only female member of the team, Sairina. Little did the Slytherins realize, that by giving her the chance to shoot, they were only sealing their fate.

"Another penalty shot for the sweet Sairina," Sam said, "That's something like her tenth one today. I really think that some of the bastards need to just be thrown out of the game," he danced around Professor McGonagall's grasp, "Sorry Professor, it won't happen again I swear . . ."

"Sairina scores and the score is now 150 to 0 Ravenclaw beating the Slytherin team completely senseless. Slytherin has possession, and Cobb is flying down the field like a madman . . . Ouch . . . only to run head-on into a bludger. Stupid git . . . Ravenclaw is in possession Baine to Telcontar . . . LOOK OUT!" A familiar whoosh sound ripped though the air. Sairina turned just in time to see Rick Dunham and Adrian Baine get knocked off their brooms by the bludgers.

Iam was beginning to call for a time out when both he and Gregory Flint began to dive for the snitch, with Flint in the lead.

"This looks like trouble for Ravenclaw," Sam began rattling, "if Flint captures the snitch the score will be tied and in that case the team who catches the snitch will . . . what is she doing?" Everybody tore their eyes away from the chase for the snitch and saw Sairina streaking for the goals while Slytherin was distracted.

"GO SAIRINA GO!" Sam roared. Sairina tried to flatten herself against the broom as much as possible and she urged her broom to go faster.

"Amazing," Sam said astonished, "A barrel roll to dodge the bludgers, there is nothing in her way now!" There was a tense moment as Sairina faked left and shot right, "She shoots . . ." the crowd held its breath as they watched the red ball sail through the golden hoop.

"GOAL!" Sam shouted as Flint held up the snitch victoriously, "Flint's caught the snitch which gives Slytherin 150 points, but Telcontar's daring last minute goal makes Ravenclaw the victors! RAVENCLAW WINS 160 TO 150! That ladies and gentlemen is how you play the game!" The crowd was on its feet cheering, a particularly loud roar from the Ravenclaw section.

Adrian and Rick were on their feet cheering and were joined by the rest of the team. Sairina began to fly over towards their end of the field.

"Oh my God, LOOK OUT!" Sam yelled into the megaphone, but it was too late. One of the Slytherin beaters, by the surname Goyle, feeling that they were cheated had hit a bludger at Sairina. It knocked her square in the back, at about the point where the base of theneck meets the back. She fell forward like a limp doll and tumbled from her broom. Iam did a quick running kick off and caught his teammate in midair. She was out cold and taking shallow breaths.

"You bloody bastard . . ." Sam roared along with lines of more colorful obscenities. None of the teachers took notice because they were storming the field. Iam, with Sairina cradled carefully in his arms took off in the direction of the castle. The other Ravenclaw team members quickly kicked off and followed him.

Iam tore through the hallways on his broomstick and quickly made it to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey was at first outraged that he would fly into her domain, but saw Sairina and quickly changed her tune.

"Tell me what happened now," she demanded and motioned for Iam to put her on a bed. He laid her down carefully.

"Bludger to the base of the neck at a terrific speed," he ran his hand through his hair worriedly, "Is she going to be alright?" Madame Pomfrey was quickly muttering spells and aiming them all at Sairina's now bruised and swollen neck and at her head. Her breathing was becoming more normal, and she looked as if she were merely sleeping.

"Yes," she said shrewdly, "I think Miss Telcontar will be fine. You brought her to me quick enough so I don't think there will be any lasting damage." She began going though bottles in a cabinet and pulled out several, "Although she will have one terrible headache when she wakes up." It was at this point that the rest of the Ravenclaw team trouped in followed by several professors and a few adults no one had ever seen before.

A woman, who bore a striking resemblance to Sairina, but with a slightly swollen belly, let out a strangled sob and rushed over to the bed where she lay. At her side was a tall man whose dark hair was flecked with gray. The members of the Ravenclaw team quickly realized that these had to beSairina's parents. Iam was about to say something to them when he felt a firm grasp on his shoulder; it was Professor Dumbledore. He shook his head silently and motioned for the students to leave. Begrudgingly they obliged to his request.

When they stepped out into the hall, broomsticks slung over their shoulders, they saw a good number of students in the hall representing the houses of Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Iam recognized the members of the houses Quidditch teams immediately plus the little red haired Gryffindor Sairina always hung out with. Ciaran Griffith, the seventh year captain of the Gryffindor team stepped forward.

"Will she be alright, Iam?" he asked tightly clasping a hand on Iam's shoulder. He nodded.

"Madame Pomfrey thinks she'll be fine and that there will be no permanent damage," he said wearily. Kiefer Roderick, the stocky Hufflepuff captain, stepped forward with his hand outstretched.

"That was rotten what that stupid Slytherin did," he said as he shook Iam's hand, "It was low down and deceitful, and he got his just deserts with his punishment." This caught the attention of the Ravenclaw teammates.

"What was his punishment?" Adrian inquired. A sly smirk spread across Kiefer's round face, lighting up his eyes.

"He's been banned from Quidditch for the rest of the year," Kiefer elaborated, "Plus three months worth of detentions. Apparently Telcontar's parents were in the crowd today, and from what I heard they're well-to-do and very influential people." There were murmurs of agreement from all the players.

"After you guys flew off," Ciaran continued, "The whole lot that just entered the room now stormed down from their seats and though you couldn't hear what her father was saying to Dumbledore, but it was apparent he was livid. He said something to Goyle before storming off with Dumbledore," he shrugged, "I think he might have threatened to kill him, but it might have justbeen a hallow threat."

"I can guarantee you, hini, that my father's threats are anything but hallow," a level voice said from the end of the hall. The three teams turned and looked to see four boys strutting down the hall with a tall dark haired boy of about fifteen leading the pack. He spoke again.

"I dare say that my father values the life of his children more than his own," the lead boy continued loftily as the pack passed the three teams, "He is willing to do anything to ensureour safety, especially the safety of his daughters." The other three boys entered the resting room where Sairina was and the dark haired boy paused and looked at the waiting group, "Good day to you all gentlemen," he looked squarely at Lily and nodded, "Hiril nin."

"Hir nin," she responded back with a slight nod. The boy vanished into the room and the door shut with a snap. Everyone in the hall looked at Lily curiously, and Iam opened his mouth to ask something, but once more the door to the infirmary opened and the various people who paraded in, now paraded out, including the four teenage boys. Dumbledore took note of the crowd instantly.

"It is good to see the houses concerned about one another," he said with an air of mirth, "You'll be glad to know that Miss Telcontar is awake and she will make a full recovery," he turned to Iam, "Your team may go in and see her, but keep the noise level down. Miss Evans, you may go in as well." The allowed students practically ran into the infirmary which caused Dumbledore to smirk before he led Sairina's family and other people away.

While many of the other students who were gathered made their ways back to their common rooms, James Potter was content to stare after the troupe. It seemed odd to him that they were all dressed as if they were living in the muggle Middle Ages, and that no one else had noticed.

/0/0/

It was here. Where else could it have been? The king was indeed intelligent, pretending to have Legolas and Gimli hide it somewhere in Middle Earth but really hiding it in his daughter's school. The mirror her frightful witch of a great-grandmother gave her was really a portal that led to a place that only she and the headmaster of the school could open. It was simply genius.

Where are you master? Guide me with your will, where have they hidden you?

The servant waited for an answer, but nothing came. Giving up the servant followed the crowd in front of him mindlessly.

Room . . . of . . . Re . . . quir . . . ment

An evil smile spread across his face. His master was alive, and he knew now where his master was hidden.

With an uncharacteristic spring in his step Lord Gange passed through the mirror portal with the rest of the lords and ladies.