Chapter 13
Lily decided to do her part with a bit of spy work. She set her vigilance on full alert as she descended, level by level, to the dungeons. Annexed to the Potions dungeon was the Potion master's study, and her target for a secret investigation.
She slipped into the empty dungeon unnoticed. It was strange being in a bare classroom. There was an absence of youth and frivolity that normally Lily would spit on, but now the dungeon stones creaked and groaned with age, much of its dark, formidability gone.
Dollops' study was more cramped than she expected. In the four corners, there were cauldrons holding potions and on the wall, huge wine racks that stored countless concoctions. Spiders nested in some of them and rats twittered about in a glass cage underneath a shelf. It was so dusty Lily was having trouble breathing.
She made her way over to his desk. It leaned on three legs and looked as though it would collapse under the amount of weight it carried: books were piled up and homework that hadn't been graded. A cracked flask or two needed reparing in addition to several broken cauldrons that were cluttered and stacked inefficiently.
A space was cleared out in the middle, though, a notebook with parchment stuffed into it. Lily sat down on his wooden chair and gazed down at the shaky handwriting.
Dragon Pox: cures..
Fermentia baked thrice with cinnamon
Indian sand and Vermong
Swetchia Third in moonlight
???
P-
My three South Asian hopes have fallen through. I'll hit the
books for Russia and Mongolia tomorrow, but right now I'm
exhausted. You should get some rest too, you know. Talk to
Healer Jardin, he is rather fluent in French healing techniques;
he studied under Jacques Larue at Beauxbatons Academy, well
known for its medical studies. As you know, I'm sure.
-D
Lily read on and couldn't believe it. Was the inflictor trying to cure his own disease? It didn't make sense. There were several diary entries of possible cures from Japan and Polynesia, none of which looked promising. They told of all-night study sessions and visits to the hospital floor. How could Lily have suspected him?
She was about to put the book back and go to Alice to tell her it wasn't the Potions master when she heard footsteps in the Potions classroom growing louder and obviously heading for the study. Lily drew her breath and looked for a hiding place. There wasn't enough time to hide behind a cauldron or to cram herself under a broad shelf. So she slipped down under the desk where a normal occupant's feet would dangle.
The door opened. Was it Dollops? If he sat down, she was caught. But she heard two men talking.
"Minister, I had this man as my teacher for seven years, he's harmless. He's only gotten more docile with age."
"He's the only suspect we've got."
"Oh? And the source?"
"Well, I'm rather embarrassed, actually," said the Minister. "It was a letter from a schoolgirl, but when I put it together it made sense. Who could have caused an epidemic this large? The man feeds his students Dark Magic!"
"Highly diluted, it's perfectly safe."
"Pardon me for being brash, but I believe you are rather biased in this matter, Shacklebolt. His teaching ability may have nothing to do with the life he leads outside the classroom. Now we'd better get to sorting all this out. Goodness, quite the slob, isn't he?"
"Do we know where he is at the moment, sir?"
"Norway, according to the nurse here. She says he's gone to look for a remedy, but we've got scouts everywhere looking for one. But I suspect he went on the lam once he realized someone sniffed him out."
"Then technically, we have no business being here."
"Excuse me, Shacklebolt?"
"We must have the permission of Professor Dollops to rummage through his belongings. Ministry code, of course. Unless you have a search warrant."
"Certain protocol can be overlooked in these situations, I think," said the Minister tightly.
"It's not protocol, it's law, Minister. If you wish, I will write a letter to the Professor and request-"
"Shacklebolt, this is ridiculous. Just nose through the place a bit, don't upset anything and it will be fine."
"With all due respect, that would negligent and abusive to my duty, sir," said Shacklebolt.
"I see. So that's how it is," said the Minister condescendingly. "Very well, off you jolly well go to write your little request letter."
"Thank you, sir," said Shacklebolt, with a smart little stress on the last word.
Lily peeked around the desk to make sure they were gone after their footsteps had faded. Things had gotten out of hand. She needed to make that Amorbane Wine now, before it was too late. Dollops might go to Azkaban if she couldn't prove his innocence. It had all been an accident, or it was someone else.
What she needed now was to get to James.
Lily decided to do her part with a bit of spy work. She set her vigilance on full alert as she descended, level by level, to the dungeons. Annexed to the Potions dungeon was the Potion master's study, and her target for a secret investigation.
She slipped into the empty dungeon unnoticed. It was strange being in a bare classroom. There was an absence of youth and frivolity that normally Lily would spit on, but now the dungeon stones creaked and groaned with age, much of its dark, formidability gone.
Dollops' study was more cramped than she expected. In the four corners, there were cauldrons holding potions and on the wall, huge wine racks that stored countless concoctions. Spiders nested in some of them and rats twittered about in a glass cage underneath a shelf. It was so dusty Lily was having trouble breathing.
She made her way over to his desk. It leaned on three legs and looked as though it would collapse under the amount of weight it carried: books were piled up and homework that hadn't been graded. A cracked flask or two needed reparing in addition to several broken cauldrons that were cluttered and stacked inefficiently.
A space was cleared out in the middle, though, a notebook with parchment stuffed into it. Lily sat down on his wooden chair and gazed down at the shaky handwriting.
Dragon Pox: cures..
Fermentia baked thrice with cinnamon
Indian sand and Vermong
Swetchia Third in moonlight
???
P-
My three South Asian hopes have fallen through. I'll hit the
books for Russia and Mongolia tomorrow, but right now I'm
exhausted. You should get some rest too, you know. Talk to
Healer Jardin, he is rather fluent in French healing techniques;
he studied under Jacques Larue at Beauxbatons Academy, well
known for its medical studies. As you know, I'm sure.
-D
Lily read on and couldn't believe it. Was the inflictor trying to cure his own disease? It didn't make sense. There were several diary entries of possible cures from Japan and Polynesia, none of which looked promising. They told of all-night study sessions and visits to the hospital floor. How could Lily have suspected him?
She was about to put the book back and go to Alice to tell her it wasn't the Potions master when she heard footsteps in the Potions classroom growing louder and obviously heading for the study. Lily drew her breath and looked for a hiding place. There wasn't enough time to hide behind a cauldron or to cram herself under a broad shelf. So she slipped down under the desk where a normal occupant's feet would dangle.
The door opened. Was it Dollops? If he sat down, she was caught. But she heard two men talking.
"Minister, I had this man as my teacher for seven years, he's harmless. He's only gotten more docile with age."
"He's the only suspect we've got."
"Oh? And the source?"
"Well, I'm rather embarrassed, actually," said the Minister. "It was a letter from a schoolgirl, but when I put it together it made sense. Who could have caused an epidemic this large? The man feeds his students Dark Magic!"
"Highly diluted, it's perfectly safe."
"Pardon me for being brash, but I believe you are rather biased in this matter, Shacklebolt. His teaching ability may have nothing to do with the life he leads outside the classroom. Now we'd better get to sorting all this out. Goodness, quite the slob, isn't he?"
"Do we know where he is at the moment, sir?"
"Norway, according to the nurse here. She says he's gone to look for a remedy, but we've got scouts everywhere looking for one. But I suspect he went on the lam once he realized someone sniffed him out."
"Then technically, we have no business being here."
"Excuse me, Shacklebolt?"
"We must have the permission of Professor Dollops to rummage through his belongings. Ministry code, of course. Unless you have a search warrant."
"Certain protocol can be overlooked in these situations, I think," said the Minister tightly.
"It's not protocol, it's law, Minister. If you wish, I will write a letter to the Professor and request-"
"Shacklebolt, this is ridiculous. Just nose through the place a bit, don't upset anything and it will be fine."
"With all due respect, that would negligent and abusive to my duty, sir," said Shacklebolt.
"I see. So that's how it is," said the Minister condescendingly. "Very well, off you jolly well go to write your little request letter."
"Thank you, sir," said Shacklebolt, with a smart little stress on the last word.
Lily peeked around the desk to make sure they were gone after their footsteps had faded. Things had gotten out of hand. She needed to make that Amorbane Wine now, before it was too late. Dollops might go to Azkaban if she couldn't prove his innocence. It had all been an accident, or it was someone else.
What she needed now was to get to James.