And perhaps worst of all, the riddle that James, Albus, and I had discovered remained maddeningly unsolved. None of us had the time to meet. If James wasn't grading papers, Albus was brewing Wolfsbane with Magellan, or I was studying for yet another practical with Hugo, Maddie, and Carla.

And so, the cold, bitter month of January rolled on - boring, commonplace, and utterly unsatisfying.


Chapter 18: Best Laid Plans

January turned into February, and February into the most awful day of them all - Valentine's Day. It looked as if the Great Hall suffered an explosion of hot pink streamers and confetti. It was nearly enough to make me reconsider my choice of favorite color.

James was gleefully eyeing his stack of valentines while Headmistress McGonagall frowned disapprovingly. Albus lifted one of his with a disgusted look and let it float to the floor. Persephone looked particularly heartbroken. Rose nudged hers to the side with her elbow and opened a book.

Scorpius whispered something in Imogen's ear that made her giggle. I turned around as soon as I saw him get up and walk to the Gryffindor Table.

"Morning, She-Potter!"

"Morning, Malfoy," I muttered, gripping my toast. He peered over my head at the table in front of me.

"No Valentines, She-Potter?" he said in faux-shock. "But then again, I wouldn't risk the combined wrath of Potter and Albus either."

"Yeah, yeah. Piss off back to your girlfriend, Malfoy."

Hugo stabbed his egg. "Valentine's Day is a stupid holiday anyway."

Maddie looked up. "I'll drink to that."

"You're fifteen, Mads. You can't drink."

"Carla, I love you, but are you at all familiar with figurative language?"

"Depends, are you familiar with sarcasm?"

Malfoy had disappeared. Why did I feel miffed about that? I did tell him to piss off.

"Besides, Valentine's Day is not a stupid holiday," Aurelie piped up. Where did she come from?

We had been avoiding each other. She'd seemingly melted into the shadows; the only time I noticed her was when she was with Malfoy.

"It's important to celebrate people in our life and how much they meant to us. Also, I like making valentines!" she continued.

"If you mean celebrating the people we're currently banging, then yeah, that's accurate," said Hugo.

"Hugo!" snapped Rose, covering Aurelie's ears, "We have a child here!"

He shrugged. "She knows about the birds and the bees, right?"

Rose glared at him.

"What about them?" Aurelie asked, her eyes wide and curious. Are you kidding me? That's the Dark Chosen One? Maybe Malfoy was lying, golden blood or not.

Or maybe Astoria's high as a kite.

Maybe madness runs in the Malfoy family.

"Nothing," I interjected before Hugo could open his mouth, "Babies totally come from storks."

"Oh, okay."

"In Hugo's defense, Valentine's Day is a marketing strategy that puts strain on relationships, makes single people feel inadequate, and supports outdated gender stereotypes," Carla offered as she cut her toast into neat triangles.

"Thank you, Carla. See, Rose, someone agrees with me! It's a fucking scam."

"HUGO WEASLEY! LANGUAGE!" Rose yelled, causing half of the Gryffindor Table to stare at us.

"Nothing to see here, go back to what you were doing," said Camilla as she sat down opposite Rose.

"How doth the lady fare on this fine day?" she asked Rose.

Rose looked grim. "I've been invited to Hogsmeade this evening by a certain Jamie McLaggen."

Camilla laughed. "Oh, wow. Are you going to accept?"

Rose shrugged. "I mean, there's no reason not to."

Hugo and Maddie were talking about something, too.

"Do you think people get Sorted too soon? Or perhaps we should be re-Sorted halfway though. I don't think everyone stays exactly the same for seven years."

Hugo nodded. "Yeah, it's like the Sorting Hat decides our destinies or something. Quite stupid, if you ask me. I know some spineless Gryffindors."

My eyes widened. "Back up, Hu."

"Spineless Gryffindors?"

"No, further back."

"Stupidity?"

I shook my head.

"Destiny?"

"Yes! What did you say about the Sorting Hat, Hu?"

He looked flummoxed. "Uh, I said it's like the Sorting Hat decides our destinies or something-"

I hugged him. "You're brilliant, Hu!" I practically sprinted over to the Slytherin table.

Why hadn't I thought of it before?

The hat had no eyes, voice, or mind. Yet it could see into and know minds, decide our Houses and just change the course of our lives.

The last thing was inside the Sorting Hat!

I dragged Albus to the corner of the Great Hall to explain it all excitedly.

He looked at me blankly.

"There's just one problem, Lil."

"What?"

"The Hat's in the Headmistress's office. How are we going to all get in there?"

I hadn't considered that complication. I shrugged. "Get in trouble?"

"No, they'll send us to our Heads of House. It would have to be something really bad to get us sent to McGonagall."

"Bad how?"

He sighed. "I don't bloody know, Lil! Ask James!"

I was left to return to the Gryffindor Table, indulge in small talk, and pretend to concentrate through Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Thankfully, the Frog Choir burst in to serenade someone in the class before the professor could notice my failure to cast the Aqua Eructo Charm correctly.

"Good morning, Professor! We're here to deliver a message of love!"

Professor Diggory sighed heavily and nodded. "If you must."

Maddie nudged me. "Who do you think it is?"

"Don't care," said Hugo sullenly. "Carla, how come you're not singing?"

"We're here for one of our very own members!" exclaimed a red-cheeked boy wearing a Hufflepuff tie. He went down on one knee, holding out a rose. "Carla Lewis, if you'd like to come to the front!"

"Oh, Merlin," she muttered, gripping her quill nervously. Hugo and I urged her forward.

Hugo had suddenly perked up. I wondered why.

The Frog Choir started to snap their fingers. Someone people in the front were singing, and others were beatboxing.

I recognized the song, and realized why Hugo looked happy.

"Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You? Pretty slick, Hu. Whatever happened to Valentine's Day being a rubbish holiday? Are you going to come clean?"

He shushed me. "Ugh, don't ruin it, Lil. I know she's your best mate, but it's a secret, please."

Carla looked absolutely mortified. She shuffled back over to us, clutching the rose.

"Oooh, who do you think it was?" asked Maddie. "You've got a secret admirer, Carla! I'm jealous as hell."

Hugo smiled sheepishly at Carla, then looked down at the floor.

"Back to class!" said Professor Diggory. "I expect perfect aim by the time the bell rings!"

I managed to produce a weak jet of water that was approximately straight. But Hugo, who usually had excellent aim, was too busy staring at Carla when Professor Diggory asked him to demonstrate, and ended up soaking Imogen.

All-in-all, not a bad result. Now, I just had to figure out how to get inside Headmistress McGonagall's office. Trouble was off the table, so the only other option was subterfuge.


The morning after Valentine's Day was the Ravenclaw-Slytherin Quidditch match, and Rhys wanted us to be in attendance. I wouldn't have minded this; I was planning to go to support Lorcan and Lysander anyway, but Rhys wanted us to take detailed notes. Then, we were going to meet straight after the match to discuss techniques and strategies.

I grimaced as Jazz passed me a copy of the stapled template Rhys had made for note-taking.

"Is Rhys serious about this?" I whispered to Seb.

"Oh, yeah. You're never going to get to enjoy watching a Quidditch match again."

Rhys raised an eyebrow. "Lily, Seb, would you like to share your discussion with the team?"

"Uh, no! I'm going to go wish Lorcan and Lysander good luck!"

I got up and sprinted over to the Ravenclaw table before Rhys could say another word.

The twins looked very grim as I wished them good luck.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Nothing much," Lorcan whispered, "New captain's a nightmare and we've got a load of second-years on the team. At this point, we'll need the intervention of a flock of Blibbering Hummingdingers to save us."

"Well, I think you're going to do great." I waved my stack of notes. "I bloody well hope so, because otherwise Rhys will make me write an essay on everything you did wrong."

"I'll keep that in mind," said Lysander.

About twenty minutes later, we all headed out to sit in the Gryffindor stands and watch the game. Hugo was standing in the commentator's box as usual, stretching.

I sat down between Nate and Annabel. James and Maddie sat behind us; Carla and Rose had decided to sleep in that morning.

Nate noticed the sapphire blue ribbon I'd tied on the end of my braid.

"Are you rooting for Ravenclaw, then?"

"Yes, two of my friends are Beaters. You?"

Nate shrugged. "I'm rooting for whoever wins so I have to take less notes."

"I didn't do any of this crap when I was Captain and we still won the Quidditch Cup that year," James interrupted.

"Arse out, James," Rhys snapped. He looked a bit tired, I thought. One of the scratches on his right hand looked fresh. Could Lysander be right?

"Shouldn't you be sitting with the professors, James?" I asked.

"Sod that, Lil. Whose side are you on, anyway?"

Rhys shushed James loudly. "Either stop interfering or sit in your own bloody box!"

"Merlin, you're worse than Al!"

Maddie snickered.

Hugo tapped the microphone as the Ravenclaw and Slytherin teams, came onto the pitch. Rhys sat up, looking very serious. He noted incorrect grips and bad posture as each person took off.

"...and there's a Bludger coming after the Ravenclaw Seeker, newcomer Harper Frost... nice save, nice save by the Scamander whose hands aren't covered in... is that blue paint?"

"Mr. Weasley, is that really relevant?" shouted Headmistress McGonagall.

"No, Professor, sorry."

Rhys nodded. "Nate, Seb, you should take note of the angle of the club when striking the Bludger; that was particularly effective. And Lily, that roll that the Seeker did could be useful for you."

James groaned. "You're a real killjoy, mate, do you know that - oh Merlin, that Slytherin Keeper's pathetic. You should write that down, McLaggen, maybe it'll help next time around."

Jamie glowered but wisely said nothing, as Rhys seemed to be in a particularly sensitive mood. I sighed and resigned myself to taking notes.


After an excruciatingly long strategy meeting, I headed down to James's office to discuss the developments.

"Come in, Lil. It's open."

I peeked in to check that Aslan was sleeping.

"I've figured out the riddle," I said. James looked up.

"Uh-huh. Wait, what? Sit down, tell me everything!"

I proceeded to explain Hugo and Maddie's discussion at breakfast, and how that led to the solution to the riddle.

James looked pensive.

"Huh. The Sorting Hat. I never would have guessed."

"So?"

"So, what, Lil? It's in McGonagall's office. That's a non-starter."

I frowned. "There has to be a way."

James shrugged.

"You're not just going to give up, are you? The Chamber of Secrets and the Mirror of Erised are fine, apparently, but the Sorting Hat's such a difficult target."

"There are more important things to think about."

I got up with a sigh, aggressively yanking my bag onto my shoulder. I resolved to find the last piece of the riddle, with or without my brothers' help.

Try and call me unremarkable when I figure out the answer and pass the last test.

"Night, James."

I slammed his office door and stalked back to Gryffindor Tower to finish studying for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Yay.


"Any reason you've become so obsessed with obscure magical history?" Hugo asked Carla.

He turned to me. "You've got to hold your wrist more stiffly, Lil. The water can't be straight if your wand is flopping around."

"No reason," said Carla sunnily. "It's just really interesting. Especially these legends about the ancestral witch ever since Albus lent me that book."

"I believe in practical knowledge," he said.

I frowned as my jet of water drooped.

"Philistine."

"I prefer the term realist."

"Anyhow, the ancestral witch was incredibly dangerous. It's amazing humankind even survived."

"Did I ask?"

"She was defeated by being splintered into her three constitutive parts. But if she ever came together again-"

"Let me guess, wizardkind is screwed?"

Carla glared. "Humankind, Hugo! Honestly."

"Incredibly dangerous how?" I asked.

"Depends. Could be causes plagues at will dangerous, famine, or just, you know, general destruction."

Practice did not make perfect. I stood up. "See you, nerds. I'm going to sleep."

Or, more accurately, going to toss and turn in bed while I thought of ways to sneak into McGonagall's office.


This was what I came up with: When in search of knowledge, try a Ravenclaw.

So, I decided to wait outside Ravenclaw Tower after class to ask either Lorcan or Lysander for help.

But unfortunately, the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry. I stared down the eagle-shaped brass knocker.

"Um, can I go in?"

The eagle's eyes glinted.

"There are two people near the river, and both of them want to get on the other side. The boat can only take one of them. But they got across. How can this be?"

I sighed.

"Oh, Merlin. How am I supposed to answer that?"

"Take your time," said the knocker. "Or ask a friend. Two heads are better than one."

"It's not too hard, if you think about it simply. Who said the people were on the same side?"

I turned around. "Lorcan!"

He winked at me. "Fancy seeing you here, Lily. Need to get in?"

Lorcan turned to the knocker. "If they are on opposite sides, the first person takes the boat east to west, and the second west to east."

"Well-reasoned. Often, the simplest answer is the best," said the knocker. Lorcan pushed the door open, and I followed him in.

I'd only been in Ravenclaw Tower a few times before. Their common room was airy and light. Arched windows filled the room with sunlight. I craned my neck to look up at the high ceiling painted with stars, mirroring the midnight-blue carpet.

In the very center of the room was a white marble statue of Rowena Ravenclaw.

It was much quieter than the Gryffindor common room. People sat around the table studying or having lively discussions.

"Are you looking for Ly?" asked Lorcan.

I shook my head. "No, actually. I need the wise council of a Ravenclaw."

"I'd be happy to help." He gestured for me to sit. "What's on your mind?"

I fidgeted with the end of my braid. "Hypothetically speaking, how would you gain entrance a place that is locked?"

Just as I had hoped, Lorcan's Ravenclaw curiosity overrode a prefect's suspicion.

"Try Polyjuice Potion," he said, grinning.

"What's that?" I'd never heard of it, not even from Albus.

"Very complicated. It's not in the curriculum, but it enables you to appear to be someone else. It's in the book Moste Potente Potions. That's in the Restricted Section, but I can get it for you if you'd like. The only downside is that it takes weeks to brew."

I frowned. It was almost perfect, but I didn't know how long I could wait.

"Oh, alright. Thanks for the help, Lorcan."

He narrowed his eyes. "Don't get into any trouble."

"No promises."

Lorcan laughed. "Stay awhile, will you? I need a break from studying. Is there anything else I can help with?"

I sighed. "Other than my dodgy aim? Not much, at present. Hugo's trying to teach me, but you know how it goes."

"Relaxation it is, then." He put his best story-telling voice on. "Have you ever heard the tale of the Crumple-Horned Snorkack?"

I had not, but Lorcan was an excellent storyteller, and it promised to be a riveting diversion from my problems.


After passing the most pleasant afternoon in a while with Lorcan, I went in search of the book that had started the investigation in the first place.

Lurking around the Restricted Section of the library had been going well, until I rounded the corner into the next row of shelves and nearly collided with someone.

"What are you up to, She-Potter?" Scorpius frowned at me.

The green-and-silver prefect badge glinted on his robes.

"Nothing, Malfoy."

"Nothing doesn't answer why you're lurking around the Restricted Section."

"Quite frankly, it's none of your business."

He frowned, crossing his arms. "I am a prefect. Quite frankly, it is my business. I'll ask you one more time, She-Potter. What are you looking for in the Restricted Section?"

"I told you, Malfoy. Nothing." I tried to steal a furtive glance at the shelves behind him.

"Right." He did not seem convinced.

I left the library in a sullen mood. There was no point looking for the book with Scorpius lurking around. And if I knew anything about Scorpius Malfoy, he wouldn't let the incident go.

Suddenly, I heard a loud banging sound behind my head.

"Ahh, what is Wee Miss Potty sulking about?"

"PEEVES! Can't I ever feel sorry for myself in peace?" I roared, pointing my wand at the giggling poltergeist. "Aqua Eructo!"

Unlike the other times I had cast it, the jet of water was powerful and my aim was perfect.

Maybe Rose and Al were right and I did need to get angry to cast spells perfectly.

Someone was clapping slowly. I turned around.

Professor Magellan and Professor Diggory were standing right behind me. I groaned.

"Excellent form, Ms. Potter. But I'd like to see less of that in the hallways close to curfew, and more of that precise aim in my classroom."

"Office," said Professor Magellan venomously. "Now."

I sighed in defeat and pocketed my wand. Peeves followed closely behind us, giggling and mocking me until Professor Diggory shooed him off.

And I've just finished weekly detention! Can't I ever catch a break?

And yet more ironically, why couldn't I have been sent to McGonagall's office?


The Frog Choir is an acapella group now, apparently. Got to move with the times.

Also, the song they sing to Carla is "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" by Frankie Valli. Can't copy the lyrics because it's not in the public domain, but I recommend listening to the slowed version on YouTube for ~vibes~

[update as of Dec 6] - I'm preparing for finals... so Chapter 19 will probably be released on the 18th after I'm done. I just don't want to rush the finale chapters. They are drafted, and they are coming. I just want to make sure everything is perfect.