True to the hospital's promise, Edward and Patsy were returned to Amanda with their health, if not their spirits restored. Patsy survived despite her heroic intention of martyring herself to doomed love. Now that her romantic notions of death were no longer a probability, she was left to sulk for a day or two, and for a day or two she did just that. Fortunately, she had read many books in which the fatally ill or hexed heroine had been miraculously restored for the sake of solving some mystery or fulfilling a prophecy, and this cheered her considerably.
Edward, though he had not Patsy's fine reason's for being annoyed with his experience or survival still insisted on being sullen for a week. He would not admit that he had been terrified during that loathsome ordeal, and was now embarrassed at the simplicity of his recovery. During his week of further recuperation, he theorized repeatedly that the epidemic had most likely been created by the Ministry on purpose. When Amanda gently suggested that might be a slightly irrational, he had locked himself in his study for nearly fifteen minutes before storming back out to explain petulantly why he thought they would have done it, shaking his finger adamantly to punctuate his point. Then he invited Giles over for a lengthy game of chess and an even lengthier discussion on conspiracies.
The most discussed subject between them, however, was not the Ministry's probable dabbling in potions or diseases. It was simply one of three favorites. The second was Quidditch. Edward, though not a rabid fan, knew enough to keep the conversation at a level of heated animation. Giles however, knew everything about it, from it's lengthy history to the color of socks preferred by the team captains. He claimed to be the only Wizard in the world who had seen every game played by the Falmouth Falcons, and had even been splashed with blood when one of their ( then) beaters, Hubert Hotstaff, drove a bludger into the nose of the Xerxes Deeter, the seeker for the Wigtown Wanderers.
"I still have the robe as a souvenir. I'll have to show it to you someday." Giles had told her once. She was exceptionally eager to hold him to that promise, but she appreciated his enthusiasm. " His nose is still crooked too. All the way over to one side. He can only breath through the left nostril. A real dandy."
Edward and Giles favorite subject, however, if it could possibly be more fascinating than Xerxes Deeter's nose, was Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Something had apparently happened there at the end of the school year. Apparently, or at least from what Amanda could immediately gather, a professor had attacked one of the students.
Edward corrected her on this later, and insisted that it had been He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, in possession of one of the professors. The Ministry of course, would not dare believe such a thing, especially only on the word of a few students and Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster; but he himself believed it entirely, as did Giles.
" I thought the school was supposed to be impossibly guarded?" she exclaimed, shocked. " Yet, a dark wizard can simply walk in and attack a helpless student?"
" Not all that helpless..." Giles grumbled.
" It isn't that simple. The school is guarded, by magic, and by some of the most powerful witches and wizards in England. A person would have to have a great desire to enter, to make it worth the trouble, and He who must not be named would have a great desire to enter..."
" Just to attack one student...or was it to be many?"
" Just the one." Giles answered.
" Harry Potter."
Harry Potter. That strange little boy who had been in the shop? Why, he was only a small child, why would a dark wizard want to--then she remembered Edward's story about the child. It was hardly believable, but then, so few things in this wirld were readily believable. She pursed her lips thoughtfully.
Giles went on to explain the story as best he knew, having heard it from Arthur Weasley, whose son had been Harry Potter's companion during the event.
Amanda listened, with growing confusion.
" The dark wizard entered the school in the back of a Professor's head?" she asked. " And no one...noticed?"
" Well...er..no."
" Not even Dumbledore, who is supposed to be powerful and brilliant?"
Both Edward and Giles looked uncomfortable.
Giles raised his glass in a sort of gesture, signifying that there was really no reasonable explanation.
" Voldemort was very cunning...it isn't unfathomable that he could deceive a few persons." he said, unconvincingly. " There are concealment charms...and that Quirrell fellow was not the sort of person to arouse suspicion."
Amanda said no more, merely allowed her expression to speak of her distrust in the safety of this sacred institution. Edward saw instantly in her pose the look of a mother who was mentally eliminating a possible danger for her child, and hastily spoke up to reassure her.
" In the entire history of Hogwarts though! Only one attack..and even then, no death. Why, I don't believe anyone has actually died at that school."
" Except for that girl. " Giles said helpfully. " In the bathroom."
Edward shot him an irritated look.
" That was an accident."
" Oh? What happened then?" Amanda asked, smiling sweetly.
" Well, no one really knows, but they say it was a legendary beast--"
Edward threw up his hand in exasperation, signaling to Giles to desist, as Amanda's smile vanished immediately. Giles saw his distress, but chose to ignore it.He loved nothing more than a rapt audience, and at the moment, Amanda was a rapt as person could possibly be.
" The Chamber of Secrets...the school is rumored to have one. They say that one of the school's founders stowed away a great monster in it. How the creature escaped is unknown, some say it was a loosed by Slytherin's heir, other's that it's escape was a mystery. However it came to be free, it killed one girl. Attacked her in the bathroom. Horrible stuff. Blood everywhere."
" Thank you for that...Giles, " Edward commented. " And how would you know? I don't recall that you were there at that time?"
" Were you?" Amanda asked.
" Yes." Edward answered testily. " But I don't know anything about it. I don't believe a monster attacked that girl, it was most likely a row between students. A duel even. "
" But there was blood?" Giles urged. " I heard from a very reliable source that there was blood."
Edward set checkmated Giles.
" No blood." he said, as Giles began to exclaim over the horrific loss he had just suffered.
" That's...er...six games I've lost to you, since '58." he said. " And I don't keep count of the wins of course."
" More like one hundred and thirty-six." Edward didn't mention that it would be impossible to keep count of wins that had not occurred. Giles had in their entire friendship, only own one game...and it was one of Gile's most endearign features was so mercilessly determined to win just one more match.
" A deliberate miscalculation!" Giles said. " Well, this calls for drastic action. I challenge you to one more game. On the Muggle set, and I shall play black this time."
" Very well." Edward said, clearing away the chess pieces. From upstairs, they heard the waking cry of Charlotte.
" Excuse me, " Amanda said. The men rose respectfully as she hurried from the room, then reseated themselves at the board.
" Chamber of secrets." Edward huffed. " I would appreciate your curbing all unsavory horror stories in the future, Giles, it makes my wife very nervous."
" She did not seem so nervous as concerned. No wonder actually, I might think twice about sending my children to a school that couldn't offer better security." Giles said, suddenly serious again. " If it is Voldemort..." he shook his head.
" Yes..." Edward agreed. " If it is Voldemort."
" Your move."
--
" Lottie..." Amanda pleaded. " You are going to tumble down!"
She was struggling to pin on a clean diaper, while Lottie was struggling to fall over the side of the bed. These were the times that Amanda truly envied everyone else their magic abilities. It could be so frustrating to see Edward or Patsy simple walk by and have the baby changed with only a simple wand wave.
Edward seemed to enjoy this frustration to a degree, often watching her for sometime before offering his assistance.
" There!" she said, as the pin finally closed. Not without catching her finger once though. " Isn't that better?"
Charlotte allowed her mother to slip a simple, blue dress over head, and button it before she began struggling once more.
" And where do you think you are going? Shall we go downstairs? Then you have to let me carry you." she turned her upside down once to get her to laugh, the righted her. The trip down the stairs entailed having to stop often so that Lottie could look at things, and Amanda could tell her the correct word for it. She was very fascinated by a small square framed Picture of some deceased Ollivander relative, a woman with a very large nose and invisible eyebrows.
" Picture." Amanda said, in her best teacher voice.
She carried Charlotte through to the kitchen, and settled her in her chair. She could hear the muffled voices of the men in the other room, raised in serious near-argument over whichever topic. A glance at the kitchen clock showed that it was nearly time for Patsy to return. She had departed earlier that evening with every intention of becoming engaged to her Phillip Wood, whether or not he was willing. She had even worn a crimson robe, simply because red was his favorite color.
Amanda was curious now as to Patsy's success, and when she saw outside the garden window a silhouette, she smiled. Seeing that it was only one silhouette, she opened the door, expecting Patsy to rush in, breathless, and chattering at a dangerous speed.
There was nothing.
Peering out, she saw that the silhouette was now seated dejectedly on one of her benches, and that it was not Patsy. The figure wore white, and was twirling a single rose.
She drew her wand, and stepped back, but by that time the figure had noticed her presence.
" Wait! Amanda! It is only me." the figure held up two hands to show he was unarmed.
" Philo?" she did not lower her wand.
" Yes. " he answered. " I...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."
" You didn't. I just thought you were Patsy."
He stepped closer to the light, but not into it. It was enough that she could see he was dressed with more care than usual. He did not wear robes, but a rather soft white shirt, and black trousers. His boots gleamed, and he had oiled his hair so that the curls were tamed.She caught a glimpse of some indefinable piece of gold jewelry about his neck.
Still rolling the rose between his fingers, he halted a few paces from her, seemingly not sure of how to proceed.
" Patsy? " he repeated, in an odd tone, not meeting her eye.
She thought he sounded a little hopeless, and a suspicion crept over her. Since the day they had taken Edward and Patsy to the hospital, she had seen Philo much more often. He had been twice at the shop, she and Patsy had run into him at the market, Winter said he had been to Rookwood three times.
Had he come to see Patsy? A surge of sympathy struck her, and she did not want to have to say that Patsy was, at the moment, engaging herself to another man. Charlotte saved her from having to say anything, she began beating her hands on the tray to earn her mother's attention, and smiling coquettishly at Philo, who had crept close enough to peer in through the door.
" I'm keeping you, sorry. I just wanted to...no, never mind that. " he shook his head, dislodging some of the immaculately placed curls. Reaching into his pocket, he drew out a sealed note. " Here. " he thrust it at her. The smell of his cologne clouded up around them.
" What is it?" she asked, taking it gingerly, and holding her breath.
" Could you please see that Edward receives it? Tell him something came up?" Philo turned to flee.
" Wait! "
He halted, but stood in such a posture that he looked prepared to bolt at the least noise.
" Were you supposed to meet? He's just in there, with Colonel Barkwater. I could tell him you are here?"
At the sound of Giles' name, Philo started, and made a half step back in the direction of the door, then stopped. In the half light, he appeared to wear a half-pained, half frightened look. He gestured to the note.
" That should suffice. It wasn't an important matter. Not at all. But, please, give it to him after...after Barkwater leaves."
Amanda pursed her lips in exasperation, as he disappeared from the garden. Why did everyone here have to bes o fluttery and suspicious? Why did every litle matter have to be so secretive and dramatic? And how had he managed to enter the garden? It was supposed to have concealment charms, unplottable charms, and anti-apparition wards applied. Only Edward, Patsy, Giles and the Rookwood women knew how to access the gate.
She turned away from the door, and examined the seal on the note. It was purple, and had what appeared to be a pyramid stamped int he soft wax, along with a Latin motto. She cursed herself for the hours she had spent daydreaming through her Latin lessons, as she struggled to make out the words, smeared by the hasty application of the seal to the warm wax.
" Primum viveri deinde philosophari." it read. She was scrutinizing it so closely she almost shut the door on Patsy who had slipped in through the gate quietly. Apparently, Patsy, with her head down, had not noticed the half open door, or Amanda's turned back, because she stretched her hand out blindly, only to stumble through into Amanda.
" Miss Amanda!"
" Patsy! You scared the life out of me!" Amanda had dropped the letter, and placed her hand around her throat, where her pulse now throbbed rapidly.
" I'm sorry, Miss. " Patsy mumbled, her head still down.
" Is everything all right?"
Patsy raised her head to reveal large, tear filled eyes. Though it was obvious from her sodden collar that she had wept a copious amount of tears, her face was enviably devoid of redness.
" He said no!" she wailed, and threw herself into Amanda's arms, taking her by surprise.
" He...he did?" she patted the other woman's hair. Charlotte regarded them with mild interest. She had managed to reach the sugar bowl and was helping herself to the cubes.
" H-he did!" Patsy sobbed. " N-now it's all over. I-I can never show my face again. Humiliated! I might as well kill myself. Hand me a knife, I'll carve his name in my throat.Maybe h-he'll have the d-decency to show s-s-some remorse at my funeraaaaall!"
Amanda resisted the urge to smile, and guided Patsy to the nearest chair.
" The last thing I need is for you to bleed all over my knives." she said, her tone resembling that of Aunt Eloise." Here, drink this." she pushed a cup of tea with a shot of rum in it toward Patsy, who sniffled loudly.
Amanda retrieved the dropped letter, and set it on counter, before mashing some carrots for Charlotte. She kept a watchful eye both on her daughter, and the maid, who was dismally drinking her tea.
" Isn't that better?" she asked after the cup was drained." Now, do you want to tell me what happened?"
She knew Patsy would.
" It's horrible. Nothing a lady should hear. Don't you think? Oh, I'm so embarrassed...I don't think I could tell a soul." she began to sob again.
" There, there. Don't let yourself get so upset. Are certain he meant no? Perhaps he is just shy?"
" No...no...it is finished. He declared it in a restaurant! How can I ever face the world again? Spurned! Oh, it was my fault for being so brash, so bold! I didn't want to have to ask him, by right he should have asked me. i think it is more romantic that way, don't you?"
Amanda only smiled weakly, thinking of her own strange engagement, which had been a lot of things, eccentric included, but not particularly romantic.
" It's just like Aramona in "Trials of the Bleddragon", only my Gordon is a Muggle, and wants to go to America and become.." she sniffed." a writer."
" Oh...well, there is nothing wrong with a writer..you like writers." Amanda had not yet heard of ''Trials of Bleddragon'', and knew that to say so would only incur an involved explanation.
" He doesn't like novels. He wants to write books about...about...M-muggle economics!" Patsy moaned." He wants to live a normal life, have a house, and no children. I can't bear to think of it. I thought he was such a...a...hero!"
A quarter hour, and a dose of sleeping draught later, Amanda had Patsy tucked away in her room, advising her to let Phillip think on it some. It was the best she could offer, seeing as how she could not imagine someone as vibrant as Patsy wanting to leave the fun, eccentric world of magic, with it's bright colors, and books like " Star Crossed" just to marry an economist. As she closed Patsy's door, she noted a small bottle of perfume on the dresser. The garish pink label read:
" Twitterpation. The Magical Scent. He'll be filled with Admiration, when You wear Twitterpation."
Curious, Amanda took a sniff of the open bottle. Gagging slightly as she was assaulted by poorly fermented herbs disguised wit a cloying floral scent, she wondered if it might not have been the Twitterpation that killed Patsy's romance.
When she returned to the parlor, Edward was just winning the game if Muggle chess. She saw that Giles had been keeping a detailed list of their individual moves, no doubt so that when he returned home, he could replay the game to discover his mistakes. Edward was politely trying not to appear bored. For all of his oddness, for all of his pretenses of insanity, he could be eerily brilliant at times.
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he contemplated his next move, even though Amanda, standing with Charlotte on her lap, could see what it would be. He drew it out as long as possible, before moving his remaining rook to take Giles bishop. This left Giles with only a pawn and his king. Again.
Throwing down his quill, he snorted.
" Fine. Fine. I see where this game is going. You have been cheating for years, Ollivander, but now I think I can see how you were cheating." he waved his paper at Edward. " Ha! It's only a matter of time now. Oh, and speaking of the time! "
Giles' robes had a faux waistcoat with watch fob, and he always carried a small gold watch, engraved with a lion. The lion's eye was a ruby. When he opened the watch, some unfamiliar strains of music issued forth, sounding much like a first year violinist's rendition of
" Flight of the Bumblebee."
" eight o' clock!" he stated. " See you've kept me up this late. And I simply must sleep to keep up my good looks." he winked at Amanda.
With a few mild complaints, and a promise that the next match would be his best game ever, Giles took his leave, humming the tune from his watch as he staggered down the street.
After the door had been closed and locked, Edward took Charlotte onto his knee and began creating butterflies for her to play with while Amanda related Philo's appearance in the garden. Handing the note to him, she became aware, that it too smelled like the strange perfume in Patsy's room.
Edward regarded it with a frown.
" Philo...you fool." he muttered.
" It isn't anything bad is it? And how can he get into our garden?" Amanda looked at him rather accusingly. He had promised to keep herself and Charlotte perfectly safe, yet he had opened their wards?
He sat Charlotte on the floor and made the butterflies fly in circles around her curly head. He gazed on her with undisguised affection before answering his wife.
" I opened the wards to him only for tonight. He was supposed to join Giles and myself for a brief moment."
" I tried to invite him, but I think I frightened him away--"
" No, it wasn't because of you. It was because of Giles." he patted the sofa beside himself, urging her to sit.
She joined him, and he was about to continue explaining, when suddenly, he began sniffing hte air, and turned to see whether or not the rug had crawled into the fire. Seeing nothing burning, he peered at Amanda.
" What are you wearing?" he asked.
" I? Oh...I'm not wearing anything. It's Patsy's cologne. She came home distraught, so I put her to bed. It must have rubbed off on me."
" Distraught? What happened to her?"
" Her gentleman friend declined her offer of matrimony." Amanda sniffed the air too, now aware of how the perfume was clinging to her hair.
" Small wonder..." he declared, wrinkling his nose. " But poor Patsy, just the same."
She nodded towards the note.
" What? Oh yes...this. Well, as you know, Philo is...well, you remember the Geneva Convention we discussed? The un-named network?"
She nodded.
" Philo is quite involved in it, much more htan I. In fact, though I had met him occasionally, I had never spoken to him. Except when I sold him his wand. Poplar, 14 inches, quite sturdy...a very unusual wand, in my opinion. Yes...he very unusual. " his eyes misted for a second as he recalled the wand. " After speaking to him at Eloise's, I thought him merely a young idealist attempting to draw back all the older members. Create a new front in the time of peace. That's what they usually want. They are always so brave when they are comfortable, with their so-called bread and games. "
" What did he truly want?" she thought about his immaculate appearance, and wistful eyes.
" I...I'm not sure I should say. I was brought into his confidence quite against my will. I did not ask to know his secrets." he said somewhat defensively.
" It isn't anything dangerous?" was all she wanted to know.
He looked slightly perplexed.
" No! Oh, no! Nothing dangerous! Not from Philo."
Seeing that he was loathe to divulge any more information, and that she had placed him in a precarious state, she held up her hand to stop anymore words.
" Well, I needn't know more. I was only startled by his appearance, only wanted to be certain he could be trusted."
" Yes. He can be trusted. He is young, and he is idealistic. He is not, however, brave. The sooner he finds his courage, the sooner he will be no longer be a nuisance." he turned suddenly to regard her, as though he had never seen her. His expression was so peculiar, that she instantly wondered whether or not Patsy's perfume might truly be enchanted.
" you are a woman." he stated. She raised her brow in surprise, and he hurried on. " Of course you are...and maybe a woman is just what Philo needs. "
She opened her mouth, about to demand an explanation. He placed a finger over her lips.
" Now wait. I only mean that you are kind, and very...understanding. Perhaps I should enlist your help!"
" In what endeavor?"
" Never mind that! Have you ever heard of the Divulgement charm?"
" I don't like the way that sounds." she said warily.
" It is not what it seems. If I cast the Divulgement charm over you, then people confide in you the things that are if the most concern."
" I would rather wait for a person to want to confide in me." she thought of the many thing she would not want, say, her mother, learning from her.
" Well, that is the difference between the Divulgement charm and Vertiaserum. The charm only urges people, it does not make them. They must already have the desire to tell you. It is just to give them a little courage."
She shook her head.
" I could simply speak to Philo, if you like. I hardly think it appropriate though...I only barely know him."
" Ahh...but in these circumstances, barely is enough. I swear to you. "
She sighed.
" I only agree because you ask it, you know that, don't you?"
" I am much obliged to you." he answered.
They settled back, his arm about her shoulders, to watch their daughter as she half crawled, half scooted around the floor, babbling to herself.
" She is nearly a year old." he said after a few moments.
" I know..." Amanda sighed. " She is already trying to walk. Soon, she'll be off to school."
He tried to divert her attention from school, lest she recall Giles' words about the Chamber of Secrets.
" She has your good looks, thank the heavens." he commented. " She will quite possibly break hearts."
" She has both our looks, which means she'll have the better eye color. Do you think she is a Witch?" Amanda asked, leaning her head on his shoulder.
" She certainly wants to be one! Just look how she moves her hands. " he said, delightedly. " I haven't noticed anything unusual though. No fires, no levitation, no accidental summoning."
Amanda agreed. She had been watching closely for any signs of magic, but had not, as yet seen anything to suggest Charlotte was anything more than a happy, healthy baby.
As if reading her parent's thoughts, and having grown quite frustrated with not being able to catch a single butterfly, Lottie soon turned to Amanda and Edward with her lip a-quiver, all prepared to begin crying. Instead, she balled up her tiny fist and with a defiant look, slammed it down on the rug.
The room was filled quite suddenly with the sound of every glass globe in the parlor exploding into a million pieces. Edward pushed Amanda down, shielding her from the flying shards of the two stained-glass hurricane lamps that had been seated on the piano behind them. A series of doors began opening and closing before the last tinkle of fallen glass was heard, and Patsy skidded into the room, her braids untidy, and a pink robe tied hastily over a pair of green pajamas. Her house slippers crunched on broken glass.
" What happened?" she demanded groggily. The globes on the gasoliers had snuffed all the flames, so that the room was lit only by the low fire.
Edward and Amanda uncoiled themselves from their protective huddle, Amanda falling to the floor on her knees to examine Charlotte for any cuts.
" I think..." stated Edward, with a pleased chuckle, " That our Miss Charlotte has performed her first magic!"