Chapter 15 – Ask Around

"I can't believe I did this, how could I do this, where is my book!" exclaimed Evie as she searched through her pile of books. Grinning as she found the correct one she hurried down the stairs.

Evie had done something she never, ever did; she overslept and became very late to her first class of the day.

So as she tore down the stairs she almost missed a grumbling Jake, who was sitting in the common room flipping a quill in the air. She paused.

"Jake? Why aren't you in class?" she asked in a hurried voice as she ran a brush quickly through her hair. He looked up at her and smirked.

"HA! The great Evie finally overslept!"

"Yes but why are you here?" she asked, pulling on her cloak.

"I got kicked out of Sarscan's class." He mumbled. She stopped dead.

"Permanently?" she asked, horrified. He shook his head, a slight smirk on his face.

"No, I'm his golden child. I'm surprised he even got this mad at me." He said. Evie got frustrated with her hair and threw it up into a ponytail.

"Well, you can tell me why you got kicked out later, I am very late. However, it does not surprise me that you got kicked out, I find you completely capable of it. No matter how much a teacher may like you." she said, and was then out the door.

"You used one of Uncle Fred and George's pranks on him, oh my God mate, you're terrible!" cried Jimmie as Jake began to tell his friends what had happened that day.

"Would you just let me get on with it?" He snapped, Jimmie snickered at him, but Jake ignored him.

"Okay so anyway. It was just going to be for a bit of fun. It's hard to keep up with third year students. I felt the need to lighten the mood. So I used one of those slime ball ones and then, just for a joke of course, I threw one of those fake laughing dark marks. Well, after I did that you should have seen Sarscan's face! He went all pale and freaked out, screaming at us to get out. I finally was able to calm him down enough to tell him that it was only a joke. Then he got all purple faced and screamed at me not to be so immature and insolent, and then he kicked me out of the class for the day, and took away like a million points from Gryffindor. It was weird."

"Well I think it was very insensitive of you. You do realize that Voldemort affected many people…" Informed Evie.

"I know that, but it was only a joke." Interrupted Jake, snapping in his defense.

"Sounds like the guy can't take a bloody joke.' Said Jess. Jake smiled.

"Thank you. See that's what I think." Jess smiled back. Jake turned back to face everyone suddenly, his eyes glittering with excitement.

"I also think he's hiding something." They all looked at him curiously. "I've been around him a lot. He never lets anyone even near his office, freaks out if someone even slightly hints anything about Voldemort or anything to do with him. And plus he's just rather twitchy in general."

"No offense Jake, but that is hardly enough to say he is hiding anything, especially not anything significant." Said Evie matter-of-factly.

"Oh come off it Evie, would you just trust me, for once. If you had been around him, you would suspect something as well."

"Question is, what do we do about it?" asked Jess, a smirk on his face.

"Nothing!" cried Evie, throwing her hands up in the air. "It's none of our business."

"Oh stop being such a killjoy Ev." Said Jimmie. Evie growled something under her breath that no one caught, but she was quiet about the whole time they were plan formulating.

"I say we ask teachers." Said Ethan logically. "Just cover all of them. One of them is bound to know something." They all agreed, and split up the teachers among themselves, even Evie grudgingly agreed to ask a few.

Over the next few days the children put on their cute faces and set about asking teachers about Sarscan, pretending to be genuinely interested in the teacher as he was so quiet and said nothing about himself.

None of the teachers shared any useful information, though all of them seemed interested in helping the kids. Some of them even gave what they knew, but it was all irrelevant. Feeling frustrated, Jimmie approached the last teacher, the one no one wanted to ask, the one he reluctantly agreed to talk to, Snape.

After potions Jimmie remained seated until all of the students had left the classroom, then he approached the professor's desk. Snape seemed fully aware that Jimmie was there, but did not look up.

"Mr. Potter, what is it that you want." He drawled in a bored voice.

"Can I talk to you for a moment Professor?" he asked. Snape looked up, not moving his head.

"About what Mr. Potter?" he asked. Jimmie sighed.

"I just wanted to ask you a question." He said, wondering why he was suddenly nervous. He had sworn to himself that he wouldn't let Snape get to him. Snape looked up at him, an exasperated expression on his face.

"Potter, stop with this useless banter and as what you came here to ask." Jimmie gulped, but steadied himself.

"It's about Professor Sarscan." He blurted out. Snape raised an eyebrow. Jimmie gulped, trying to calm himself, but only succeeding in frustrating himself from not being able to.

"Well, I was just…he's so quiet. All the other professors are more open, but he…I don't know anything about him…"

"Potter, stop lying to me." Snape snapped. Jimmie opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again to speak.

"I…I'm not lying professor." He said, nearly wincing at the stutter. Snape gave him an exacerbated look.

"Tell me, what is Professor Petri's first name?" Jimmie stood there speechless. "Tell me, what does Professor Petri even teach?" Jimmie didn't even make an attempt to answer, knowing he was doomed. "Just as I thought, you have no idea who he even is. How can all the other professors 'be more open' when you don't even know half of them? Tell me, why are you so interested in a teacher whose class you do not even take?" Jimmie opened his mouth to respond, but Snape gave him an incredibly dirty look, and Jimmie promptly silenced himself.

"Those where rhetorical you imbecile. Get out of my sight." He scoffed with a wave of his hand. Jimmie sighed and reluctantly left. Somehow he knew that Snape had the information they had been looking for, but he also knew he wasn't going to give up, at least not that day. Snape had won today, but he, James Potter, would be back, and he would get what he wanted.

Jake was waiting for him outside, and approached him eagerly.

"So mate, how did it go?" and suddenly all his other friends were surrounding him, leaning in with anticipation. Jimmie sighed.

"I got my ass kicked conversationally." He said ruefully.

Checked