Chapter Eleven
Truths and Lies
When Courtney, Lynne, and Albus left Vector's office, they saw two people waiting for them. James looking on in anticipation and Scorpius leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest.
"Everything okay?" James asked his brother.
"Just fine," Albus muttered.
"So you too were fighting," Courtney noted. "Was there a reason?"
James chuckled. "Malfoy here had a few words to say about old Gryffindor recklessness and stupidity and how it cost us our match. When he said he could probably take me, I said, 'You know what, try it.' And then, well, you know the rest." He extended a hand. "By the way, James Potter."
Courtney took his hand and shook it. "Courtney Glass."
"Lynne Ibrams," Lynne said as she shook his hand as well.
"Good to know Albus has his own group," James commented. "So why'd you need to see Vector?"
"Courtney here heard a mystery voice saying to go to Vector's office," Albus responded.
"Well, that's never a good sign," James told Courtney solemnly. He looked at Albus again and reverted to his cheerful demeanor. "I'm going to go now. If you need me, I'll probably be at Hagrid's hut."
After James left, a voice spoke, barely more than a whisper.
"That was a lie."
"I'm sorry?" Courtney said.
Scorpius Malfoy stood up straight. "James and I made a bet before the game. Only five Sickles on whichever side won. After the game I went to see him. He was right about why I thought they lost, though I said nothing about stupidity. He was still upset by the loss, though, so it turned into a fight pretty quickly."
"And you just waited until my brother left before you called him a liar, because…?" Albus demanded. Courtney could guess what he was implying - that James would have called Scorpius out on his words if he were still there.
Scorpius shrugged. "I didn't expect you to believe me. Just thought you had the right to know."
He slinked off to the side, then started down the corridor.
"Of course James was telling the truth," Lynne was saying. "He's Albus's brother. Like we're going to trust a Slytherin over him?"
Courtney knew she had a point. Surprisingly, it was Albus who spoke. "Slytherins might not be all bad." When the girls looked at him, he continued. "Just before I left, my father… he told me that one of the bravest men he ever knew was a Slytherin."
"Really?" Lynne asked, intrigued. "Did he say which Slytherin it was?"
"Just that he was a Headmaster of Hogwarts," Albus said. "And that I was named after him."
"Now this, we should look into," Lynne said, beaming with pure Ravenclaw enthusiasm. "If it was a Headmaster that Harry Potter knew… then I know just who else would definitely know him..."
The next day, after class, Courtney left Professor Carroway's classroom, desperate for a place to wash her hands, before going to meet up with Lynne and Albus.
In the girls' bathroom, she turned on the faucet and immediately heard a loud "Boo!" as a translucent, bespectacled figure jumped out at her. Courtney jumped back from the quick scare, and the ghost flew away, laughing.
Courtney finished washing her hands, far more alert, then left and headed toward the greenhouse, where Lynne was already waiting.
"Professor Longbottom," Lynne asked. "Can we ask you something?"
Longbottom shrugged. "Ask away."
"Who was the Headmaster when you were a student here?" Courtney asked.
"Professor Albus Dumbledore," he replied with a smile. Courtney and Lynne looked at each other, nodding in confirmation. "A great man - strength, wisdom, and kindness all in one person. He taught Transfiguration for years. He let people into Hogwarts even if they were werewolves or half-giants or Squibs or house elves that wanted pay, and always chose to accommodate so they could get normal educations. He played a major role in defeating two Dark Lords… Yes, Potter and I were the ones that actually killed Voldemort, but there was no way we could have done it without Dumbledore."
Albus showed up then and saw Longbottom was already talking to them. "Hey," he said to Courtney and Lynne. "Did you get the information?"
Longbottom's brow furrowed in thought. Courtney remembered that he had been at yesterday's meeting with Vector… He probably was figuring that this had something to do with whatever the voices and bad signs were about.
"Yeah, we got it," Lynne said. She looked at Professor Longbottom. "Thank you. It's been really helpful."
"Don't mention it," Longbottom concluded.
"So I guess you were right," Lynne said. "Everything Longbottom had to say about him was good. I guess Slytherins can be good people."
"Still weird, though," Courtney noted. "Slytherin is the evil House, it produces more Dark wizards than any other House. You'd think Dumbledore was the exception, not the rule."
"But does that mean James was really lying?" Albus questioned. "Was Scorpius telling the truth?"
Lynne shrugged. "There's no way to know for sure. James told a version that made him look innocent and made Scorpius look like the bad guy. Scorpius told a version that made himself look innocent and made James the bad guy. If I had to guess, I'd say the truth was somewhere between the two - like maybe they did make a bet but Scorpius was the one who instigated the fight."
Courtney hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah. That makes sense. If both of them were wrong, then that explains why both Houses lost points."
"Good point," Lynne finished. "Still wish we knew more about the situation…"
"Um, what's that?" Albus asked.
Courtney and Lynne followed Albus's gaze. Just when Lynne had vocalized her wish, a door appeared on the wall beside them.