In Which A Duplicate Becomes More Confusing
George had gone down to breakfast and was enjoying his second bowl of muesli,
When the smell of a subtle perfume wafted its way across to him. He knew exactly who it was and felt himself blush at the very thought of her. George had fallen for Morgan some years ago as a junior and his infatuation with her had grown ever since.
Once she had passed he looked up to see her walking away from him towards the drinks fountains. Morgan was a tall and exceptionally beautiful girl who hailed from the eastern climbs of the Baltic. Her long legs had George utterly transfixed as they rose to the hem of her pleated red tartan skirt, and carried on beyond.
It was only Grimwald dropping down to give him his daily mail that distracted him from his musing. The large kestrel dropped the single letter into Georges' muesli; much to George's annoyance as it was something that he had, on numerous occasions, remonstrated with Grimwald over. However little was going to put him in a bad mood and he simply took the letter and dismissed Grimwald with a wave of his hand. The kestrel squawked with indignation and then took off into the rafters to settle for the day.
Georges letter was bound with a familiar maroon ribbon…. That of Joseph, Georges step father, a good man, who had adopted George when he and Georges mother had got married. Joseph was a tall and strong man who had a wonderfully charismatic personality laced with an incomparable wisdom.
George opened the letter with excitement; he always loved the letters from Joseph as they often contained a cryptic message or code for him to crack.
He began to read the letter and soon realised that this letter had a deeper importance than many of Josephs other letters. He was giving George a warning that he had foreseen turbulent times and that if he needed any help he must contact him via Grimwald without delay.
George decided to keep the Arcane map to himself for the time being… it wouldn't be fair to worry Joseph with out knowing that there was good reason. Nor would he tell the others of Josephs letter either… not just yet!
He had just tucked the letter into his robes when Jessie came and sat down next to him.
"Morning Jessie, sleep well?" said George brightly.
"Hmmm I have had better nights sleep," replied Jessie. She then began to tell George about the map she had found last night on her bed… omitting some details of course, like the fact that she had spent some five minutes watching his image in the map taking a shower!
Georges' immediate reaction was to reach into the recesses of his robes to make sure he still had his map… and it wasn't long before he pulled the very edge from his robe to show that he still had it.
"Looks like we have both got the same thing…. But why?" said a very confused Jessie.
They both sat in silence as they ate, trying to fathom out what or who had sent them both the maps. They were both so deep in thought that they didn't even notice that Ronnie didn't show up for breakfast.
As they left for their first lesson, Ronnie walked down the hallway towards them and said excitedly " we have got to talk later…. Lets meet at recess!" and with that tore off to his first lesson.
Professor Wilson's potions class was their first of the term, a class they didn't mid as it often lead to some very funny incidences. Like the time when Professor Wilson, who was quite a prim and proper woman accidentally gave herself Tourrets syndrome and spent the next twenty seven hours uncontrollably uttering obscenities, the likes of which had not been heard for some time!
Professor Wilson was also a wonderfully gifted historian who's knowledge of anything pre sixteenth century was quite without equal amongst the academic staff.
"Shall we ask Professor Wilson about the maps?" asked Jessie quietly. "Only I noticed that there are a number of coincidences with what Tiberius was saying last night"
"Maybe, but don't let on that we actually have the maps ok?" replied George.
"The Arcane maps were a very powerful tool for the traveller and trader of gemstones." Explained Professor Wilson. "They had the ability to protect the traveller and it is reputed that they would continue to do so, on the provision that the holder completed 3 tasks…. And of course that the holder had all three parts of the map… otherwise each part of the map separately is of no more use than a marauders map!"
They both left the lesson with a mixture of emotions, they both felt relieved that they didn't have all three of the maps and so were not necessarily in danger, but at the same time they were still completely confused as to why they should separately have one of the maps?
At recess they went into the grounds and were enjoying the mid morning sun when Ronnie strolled over to them with leather bound folder.
"Guys you will never guess what!" Ronnie puffed as he trundled over to them both, again thoroughly out of breath. I woke up this morning and found this on my bedside table." Ronnie handed the folder to Jessie who took it and opened it… Jessie's face told the full story in an instant… Ronnie had been sent another map, but this time with a difference!
Ronnie's map was about two thirds of the size of the other two and had a leather bound edge!
On seeing this Jessie told Ronnie about the map she had received and after some thought said "We need to tell Tiberius, I am sure he was talking about the maps last night, so maybe he will know what this is all about!"