Chapter 11: Castor's Return

For the next few days Hogwarts was in a frenzy of theories and suggestions on how Demetrius Castor had apparated to the center of Hogsmeade an inch away from death. The Headmistress had visited him in the hospital for only two minutes before storming out. The next day, while trooping back from Quidditch try-outs, Harry saw additional trolls along with several more Aurors arrive at the front gates.

Quidditch try outs went as easily as expected, much to Harry's delight considering the nightmare it was last year. There was only Katie's position to fill, and although a dozen hopefuls had shown up, Harry, along with a gawking Ron was shocked to see the smooth and accurate flying of Pavarti Patil.

'I guess she doesn't mind breaking a nail or two,' Harry joked after try-outs.

Ron didn't say anything for a minute then smiled.

'What you smirking about?' Harry asked.

'Well,' Ron said still grinning. 'She is pretty hot.'

'Hottest in the year.'

'I wouldn't say that.'

'Oh,' Harry said suggestively. 'And who's your number one pick?'

Ron went red then collected himself.

'You don't know her,' he said dumbly.

'I don't know her?' Harry said giving Ron a look.

'Well,' Ron stammered. 'Of course you know her, but you don't know her know her. You get what I'm saying?'

'Not really.'

'Never mind then.'

'I didn't see Hermione at the try outs,' Harry said, trying to act casual.

Ron's smile immediately left his face.

'Neville told me she went to see Ernie at the hospital,' he said grumpily.

'Oh,' Harry said feeling the tension. 'How's he doing?'

'Just a broken nose,' Ron said nonchalantly. 'Like I care anyways.'

'You were pretty mean to her mate,' Harry said easily.

Ron stopped walking and rounded on him.

'Was I?' he said angrily.

Harry didn't feel like talking about the incident that happened in Hogsmeade and he was mentally kicking himself for even brining it up.

'I've just never seen you like that.'

Ron's hardened look eased slightly.

'I guess I got carried away.'

'Forget it.'

With that, they both continued walking back towards the castle.

It was now Tuesday night, three days after Hogsmeade and still there was no sign of Castor. Harry plucked up the courage to ask Professor McGonagall after one dreadful Transfiguration class.

'He is still in the hospital wing being attended to,' the Headmistress had said crisply.

'How long do you think he'll be there?' he asked.

'Until Madam Pomfrey lets him leave, Potter,' she said sternly as if he had asked her a stupid question.

Harry felt deflated. He thanked her and made his way out of the classroom.

'Potter!'

He turned.

'Yes, Professor?'

Professor McGonagall walked forward, her stride long and straight, her piercing eyes digging into Harry, who knew full well he was in for a lecture.

'By now I'm well aware of your decisions in matters that are related to the one at hand,' she said smartly. 'But I do not want you to go near that hospital wing until he leaves, understood?'

Harry wanted to nothing more than to go to the hospital wing and ask Castor a barrage of questions, but by now he learned there was no arguing with Minerva McGonagall. He already had one person trying to kill him and he rather liked the idea of keeping it that way.

'Yes, Professor.'

'Good. Off to dinner, then.'

Harry walked back to Gryffindor Tower. His mind was reeling. What was the meaning of Castor's note? New York City? Harry knew little about the U.S., but he did know that New York was one of the biggest cities there, and the most powerful. And what did Castor mean when he found the Holy Grail? What did Sevagio know and what was his part in Harry's training. More to everything else, how did Castor get the information, and who had mangled him so badly?

'Amorentia,' he said to the Fat Lady who swung open and allowed him into the common room.

He walked in to find Ron sitting at a far table pouring over a Potion's Essay. He had stacked his books high enough that only his flaming red hair was visible. He was completely ignoring Hermione who sat at an armchair near the fire, reading, but Harry noticed her eyes dart to Ron every other second. Harry groaned to himself.

One of these days I'm locking them into a room.

Harry strode past a group of fifth years, ignoring Romilda Vane giving him an up and down look and plopped down next to Hermione.

'That Romilda is looking at you as if you were a piece of steak,' she said as she cast another glance at Ron, whose eyes hadn't moved from his parchment.

'It's getting old,' Harry said kicking up his feet and taking a deep breath. Surprisingly, Hermione didn't catch the double-meaning, or if she had, Harry guessed she acted as though she didn't.

'Oh!' Hermione said suddenly. 'I wanted to ask you something.'

'What?'

'That day in Hogsmeade, when Castor gave you that parchment.'

'Yea, it said New York City, so what does that tell us?' Harry asked confused.

'Not what he gave you,' Hermione said keeping her voice low. 'What he said to you. He said something about a Grail didn't he?'

'Yea,' Harry said trying to block the image of a bloody Professor Castor smiling and coughing up blood. 'He said he found the Holy Grail, and then he gave me that parchment, and then passed out.'

Harry eyed Hermione and knew immediately she was putting it all together.

'What do you make of it?'

'Well,' Hermione started. 'Do you know what the Holy Grail is?'

Harry thought for a minute then shrugged.

'Obviously,' Hermione said rolling her eyes, 'The Dursley's are not big church goers.'

'Er.. no,' said Harry, 'but so what.'

'Harry,' Hermione said looking around the room to make sure no one was listening. 'The Holy Grail is one of the most important and influential artifacts of all time. According to the Bible, it is the chalice that Jesus Christ used at the Last Supper, the night before he was crucified. It was also used to catch his blood at his execution. It is said to bring eternal life to anyone who drinks from it.'

'And Castor found it?' Harry asked stunned. 'In New York City?'

'Doubtful,' Hermione said. 'The story goes that after Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, the Holy Grail was entrusted to Joseph of Arimethea, who was kind of like his step-father. He was husband to Mary, who gave birth to Jesus. After his death, the Holy Grail vanished, and no one has seen it ever since. There are many speculations and theories as to where it is buried, but most of these theories revolve around the country of Israel and present day Egypt. Why the Holy Grail would wind up in New York City, and how Professor Castor, as intellectual and resourceful as he may be could find it, it seems a little far-fetched.'

Harry took a deep breath, trying to fathom exactly what Hermione was explaining.

'Are you sure that's what he said?' Hermione asked.

'Yes,' Harry said flatly. 'He said he found the Holy Grail. But how? It doesn't make any sense.'

Hermione wasn't looking at Harry but down at the floor, obviously thinking something over. She didn't say anything for several minutes.

'What?' Harry asked snapping Hermione out of her thoughts.

'Well,' Hermione said carefully. 'Do you think it would be possible that Castor found the Holy Grail, but not the same chalice referred to in the Bible?'

Harry looked at her, then shrugged his shoulders.

'I don't follow.'

'Think about it,' Hermione said leaning closer and lowering her voice. 'Castor was gone for nearly two weeks until Hogsmeade where he showed up nearly dead. All he has to show for it is a simple parchment with the name of a city and he tells you that he's found the Holy Grail. What if he found something else?'

'Come on, Hermione,' Harry said. 'When Castor showed up he was so banged up I'm surprised he wasn't dead. You should have seen him. It looked as though a herd of centaurs had run over him. He was smiling, even, the guy was obviously out of his head.'

'Then why would he say the Holy Grail?' Hermione interjected. 'I've been doing some research on this but it's fairly difficult. There is no connection between Jesus Christ and the wizarding world, so there aren't any books about the Holy Grail here, and very little information on Jesus.'

'So, you got nothing?' Harry asked.

'No,' Hermione said. 'I wrote my parents. I asked them if they knew of anything known as the 'Holy Grail' that isn't referring to the cup that was once used by Jesus of Nazareth. They wrote me back a few days later.'

'What did they tell you?'

'Well,' she said taking a breath. 'According to steadfast religious followers, the Holy Grail was the chalice that was used at the Last Supper and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, but there are others that say differently.'

'What others?'

'Historians and symbologists. Many top Professors, archaeologists, symbologists and explorers have discovered that the Holy Grail wasn't a cup, but a person.'

'A person?' Now Harry was really confused.

'Yes,' Hermione said. 'Apparently there is this conspiracy that Jesus Christ was in fact married to Mary Magdalene, one of his followers, and that they had children. This little theory has caused thousands of deaths, persecutions along with nearly two thousand years of controversy.'

'I don't see the big deal about Jesus being married,' Harry said shrugging.

'Harry,' Hermione said gently. 'Jesus Christ was God's only Son, completely infallible. He performed miracles like making blind men see, curing those of have been paralyzed, walking on water, calming storms with a wave of his hand, even resurrecting from the dead. The Second Testament of the Bible basically makes Jesus Christ look more immortal than a simple man. If it was to be proven that he actually had a wife and children, many religions, especially the Catholic Church would be destroyed simply because it would prove that Jesus, although very influential was still simply a man, nothing more.'

'And this Holy Grail is his supposed wife, Mary Magdalene?'

'Not only that, but documents that contain about eighty gospels that did not go into the Bible, for fear that it might make Jesus look less immortal and powerful than the Catholic Church would want him to appear. One of these gospels was written by Mary herself, another by Judas, the disciple who betrayed him. If these gospels along with the remains of Mary Magdalene were to be discovered, not to mention a genealogy chart tracing back to Jesus himself, many major religions would crumple.'

'Strange,' Harry said at last.

'What is?'

'Why would a sacred cup, or the remains of Mary Magdalene and old parchments be relevant to Castor. I mean, he told me at his house over the summer he's been in the wizarding world ever since he was born, so why would a religious object be so important he'd risk his life to find out where it is? I don't see the connection.'

'The Holy Grail, whether being a chalice or a person is all in theory, Harry. In fact, no one knows for certain. There is a religious way of looking at this, along with a historical way, but its not proven exactly.'

Just then, the clock struck seven and students began to pile out of the common room. Hermione and Harry sat up and headed out towards the Great Hall.

While walking down the corridors and onto the stairways, Hermione immediately stopped, making Harry nearly fall down a flight of stairs.

'Hermione! What's gotten into-'

'Of course!' she said out loud making a few students turn around.

'What are you,' Harry said but Hermione grabbed him by the arm and dragged him into another corridor.

'Harry,' she said. 'I just thought of something. Remember when I said that the Holy Grail could be something else Castor was referring to?'

'Yea,' Harry said. 'But Hermione, the Holy Grail is a religious item. We don't know what that item is exactly, but religious all the same.'

Hermione waved her hand as though what Harry said missed the point completely.

'The Christian Holy Grail, maybe, but how do we know that's what Castor was talking to you about that day in Hogsmeade?'

'Hermione,' Harry said tiredly. 'You're confusing the hell out of me.'

'Just stay with me,' Hermione urged, trying to keep her voice low. 'Suppose that Castor found an artifact in New York City. Now what if he personally referred to this item as the Holy Grail?'

Harry just stared at her, trying to figure out what she meant.

'Whatever Castor was looking for is indeed important. My guess is that Castor went looking for it, found out where it was, and those whoever leaked the information to him were murdered.'

'By who?' Harry asked catching on.

'If this item Castor calls the 'Holy Grail' is in New York City, and given the state Castor returned in, it would easily be concluded that whatever Castor went looking for is guarded. Those who are guarding this Holy Grail found out Castor was looking for it and either ambushed him, or Castor went after the Grail himself and failed, and sensing that he was going to be killed, escaped.'

Harry thought about it. It seemed logical. No one knew where Castor had went, he was sure of it. Not even Sevagio knew and as much as Harry could comprehend, Sevagio and Castor were very close, but on a level Harry still didn't know. Of the experiences that Harry had had with Castor along with the history he knew of the American mercenary, Hermione's logic did sound possible. Castor could have obtained a lead, went to New York, found out where this Holy Grail was located, and someone had found out Castor was nosing around. Before Castor could get anywhere else, those protecting the Grail could have attacked him, and Castor escaped, barely making it back to Hogwarts alive.

While they sat at dinner, Harry noticing Hermione was still deep in thought about their discussion, he suddenly had an idea. He nudged Hermione under the table. She jumped and gave a squeak. Ron, who was sitting down the table next to Seamus looked up, then quickly back to his plate, ignoring whatever Seamus was saying.

'You know,' Harry said leaning closer and lowering his voice. 'There is an easy way to find out exactly what Castor meant.'

'Oh?' Hermione said her eyes narrowing. 'And what is that pre-tell?'

'Hey Hermione,' said a voice from behind them.

Harry and Hermione turned around to see Ernie Macmillan standing there, his nose was fixed but still looked a bit red, making him look like an embarrassed clown.

'Hi Ernie,' Hermione said smiling. 'How are you feeling?' She flashed an even wider smile and Harry had to turn around to hide his amused grin. Harry noticed Ron giving Ernie sideway glances of utter dislike.

'Fine,' he said. 'Sorry about that day in Hogsmeade.'

'It wasn't your fault!' Hermione said. 'There was nothing you could have done.'

'Yea,' Ernie said shuffling on his feet.

There was an unbearable silence as Ernie stood there looking everywhere but at Hermione. Harry looked down the table to see Ron stabbing his chicken with a knife over and over again, a look of disgust on his face. Finally, Harry decided to act on his idea.

'So, Ernie, you just left the hospital?' he asked nonchalantly.

'What?' the Head Boy asked. 'Oh, right. Yea, I just left about ten minutes ago.'

'Was Professor Castor there?'

'Yea, he's been in a right foul mood ever since he woke up last night.'

'He's awake?' Hermione asked in disbelief. 'But he looked so terrible.'

'I know,' Ernie said. 'I overheard Pomfrey saying she couldn't believe he was awake. It was a nightmare let me tell you. It was nearly midnight. I was lying on my bed, Professor Castor was down on the other end. Of all of sudden, I hear this loud voice shouting at the top of his lungs.'

'Was it Castor?' Harry asked.

'Yea,' Ernie said breaking into a smile. 'The guy just woke up and demanded his wand be returned to him. He was swearing so loudly Pomfrey came in, fuming of course. You know how she is about her domain. Anyways, Castor kept yelling at her, kept on demanding to be released and his wand given back to him but Pomfrey held firm. Says he won't leave until she said so. At that, Castor exploded, screaming for a bottle of whiskey. Pomfrey wasn't happy about it, mixing alcohol with potions, so she said no. Castor hasn't said a word since, but he's been in a right foul mood ever since. I'm glad I got out of there.'

'I bet,' Harry said. 'Well, glad to see you out Ernie, I'll see you later.'

Ernie blinked. He looked at Harry then at Hermione. Getting the point, he shrugged his shoulders and went back to the Hufflepuff table.

Harry eyes were wide and he was grinning at Hermione in a very suggestive way. Hermione, on the other hand, had a slight frown and was giving him a knowing look.

'No, Harry,' she said flatly. 'No way, out of the question.'

'Why not?' Harry asked innocently. 'Give me one could reason I shouldn't go to the hospital wing and talk to Professor Castor?'

'I'll give you two good reasons,' she said sarcastically. 'Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall. You might slip past the Headmistress, but there's not a chance you can sneak into the hospital wing without Pomfrey knowing you're there.'

Harry thought about it until another idea popped into his mind, and he smiled again. He took his wand out of his pocket and pointed it at his arm.

'Who said I'm going to slip past them?' he asked taking a deep breath.

Before he could get off the spell, Professor McGonagall rose from the staff table and the Great Hall went silent.

'Your attention please,' she said loudly. 'I would like to make an important announcement.'

She waited a moment until all eyes were on her. Clearing her voice, she spoke once more.

'It gives me great pleasure to announce that for the first half of the month of December, we will be having visitors here at Hogwarts.'

At this the Great Hall became a buzzing of whispering.

'Silence,' she said sternly and the Hall went silent. 'These visitors are from the Wizarding Academy of Balmorhea in the United States. Their Headmaster, Professor Nathanial Addams, along with several of his top students will be arriving on the first day of December and will be with us until the end of the winter term. On the last day before the holidays, there will be a Winter Ball commemorating their visit. All fourth years and above may attend. Third years and below may come as long as they are invited by an older classmate.'

At this, as Harry suspected, numerous giggles and excited chattering filled the Great Hall. McGonagall raised her hands once more.

'One more thing I would like to address,' she said. 'As it was when we hosted for the Beauxbutons as well as the Durmstrang Academy, I am making it very clear that while our guests from America are with us, you will all act accordingly and respectfully, showcasing the finest qualities of your Houses. Now then, enjoy the rest of your dinner.'

With that, she sat down.

Instant shouting, conversations and questions exploded from the Great Hall. Harry could hear Seamus and Dean talking about this sudden announcement down the table.

'Why do think they're comin?' Seamus asked.

'Probably to take a look at Hogwarts, see how they stack up against wizards here in Europe,' Dean replied.

'Maybe they'll be another tournament,' Colin Creevy suggested.

'In only three weeks?' said Lavender Brown. 'Doesn't seem likely.'

Harry didn't bother listening anymore. The coincidence was far too great to ignore. Hermione probably understood the look in Harry's eyes.

'It's nothing I'm sure,' she said. 'It's just a coincidence.'

'Professor Castor winds up nearly dead, saying he found the Holy Grail in the United States, and then three days later his old Headmaster, Nathanial Addams is coming to Hogwarts. I don't buy it.'

'But Harry,' Hermione started but she was cut off.

'You've read Hogwarts, A History, right?'

'You know that, Harry.'

'Has an American Wizarding School ever visited Hogwarts?'

Hermione thought for a minute, then reluctantly, shook her head. Harry, satisfied, raised his wand to his arm and took another deep breath.

'I'm getting to the bottom of this,' he said coldly.

'Harry, what are you-' Hermione started but it was too late.

'Diffindo!' Harry whispered. Immediately, blood appeared on Harry's forearm. It wasn't deep, but it bled quickly. Harry winced at the pain but took a few calming breaths and the pain subsided.

'Harry,' Hermione said in a shocked voice. 'Are you insane?'

'Only way,' Harry said standing up. He stood up from the table, and walked out of the Great Hall, hiding his blood stained sleeve. He didn't want attention here. He strolled out and headed for the hospital wing. He knew that McGonagall would find out soon enough, but at the moment, Harry, hoping against all odds, that Castor was awake, and was in a talking mood.

Before heading reaching the first stairway towards the hospital, Harry stopped, turned around, and headed in the opposite directions, towards the dungeons. As he made his way down into the cold dungeons, he prayed that Professor Slughorn's door was easy to unlock.

Fifteen minutes later Harry arrived panting at the doors of the hospital wing. He had been able to get into Slughorn's office, get what he needed and dashed out as quickly as he could. Now, standing outside the large oak doors of the wing in which Harry was now calling his second home in Hogwarts, he felt apprehensive. By taking the detour towards Slughorn's office, Harry's cut had dried and looked relatively easy to heal. He knew that Pomfrey could mend it in a minute, but it was the only way inside. When Pomfrey would tell the Headmistress that he had gone into the hospital wing, he knew he was in for it.

To hell with it.

He opened the door, quietly and stepped through, shutting the door right behind him.

The hospital wing was empty except for one occupant. Professor Castor sat upright in bed, flipping through a magazine, a cigarette clenched in his mouth, though it was, Harry noticed, unlit. The leg in which was broken was now straight and was crossed over at the ankles. One of his arms was wrapped in white bandages. His damaged eye now looked bloodshot and was still bruised, but the swelling had gone down considerably. He looked thinner, too, Harry noticed. Castor was always a bit on the slender side but his cheeks and jaw bone were more visible.

'Professor,' Harry called out in a whisper.

Castor didn't say anything for a minute but then grunted.

'Bout fucking time you showed up,' he mumbled flipping a page.

'I,' Harry stammered. 'You're alive?'

Castor snorted.

'I wouldn't call it living, but it'll do.'

Harry walked slowly forward, his eyes on the office of Madam Pomfrey. Castor noticed.

'Don't worry about her just yet,' he said flipping through the magazine once more than chucking it on his bedside table.

Harry walked forward then sat down at a chair next to Castor's bed. Neither of them spoke for a minute until Castor smirked.

'I tell you Potter, you wouldn't believe the shit they call food in here.'

Harry couldn't help but grin. He was amazed that finally, after all these months at school, he had finally gotten Castor alone, and he could finally talk to him.

'Professor,' Harry said calmly. 'I wanted to ask you something.'

Castor took his cigarette out of his mouth and gave him a skeptical look.

'Word tells me you wanted to ask more that just one question, Potter.'

Harry didn't know what to say but instead moved his chair closer. He wanted to ask Castor so many things but seeing him lie there, beaten to hell, looking astonishingly bored, Harry was at a loss. He decided to go for an easy question.

'McGonagall told us at dinner that Professor Addams will be coming to Hogwarts.'

Castor didn't say anything. He merely nodded. Harry decided to push his luck.

'Professor,' he started. 'Why didn't you tell me about Hogsmeade? I went to the Hog's Head flying blind. I had no idea I was going to meet Olivander and Sevagio, and be fitted with a new wand. You could have told me.'

'I could have told you a lot of things, Potter,' he said coldly. 'But the less you knew about why you were going to the Hog's Head, the better. I had to keep you in the dark.'

Harry leaned forward in his chair, trying to keep his calm.

'Professor Castor,' he said evenly. 'I don't know your relationship with Sevagio, and I probably don't want to. But I want to know a few things that have been happening. I mean, why haven't you spoken to me until now?'

'I don't want to speak with you, Potter,' Castor said crossly. 'But I'm out of options.'

'What did you mean by the Holy Grail?' Harry asked.

The question, Harry could tell had caught Castor completely off guard. Castor looked at Harry for a minute, hesitating, then spoke.

'I contacted Olivander to give you that wand because the wand you use will not work on Voldemort. I'm convinced that the final battle will not be with wands, but the Dark Lord does not know that you have this extra defense, and the best thing we can hope for is to catch Lord Voldemort off guard.'

Harry started to speak, but Castor raised his hand for silence.

'As for Sevagio,' he said patiently. 'He is trusting, but he does like you one bit.'

'Why?' Harry asked at a loss.

'Because,' Castor said, a smile curving on his lips, 'I took the job.'

Harry sat, stunned. What did it mean?

'Are you saying that Sevagio, your friend doesn't like me because he doesn't approve of the job you took on training me and becoming a teacher at Hogwarts.'

Castor smiled.

'Yea,' he said. 'That's about the gist of it.'

'But why?' Harry asked. 'Why does Sevagio care what you do?'

Castor's face slumped a bit, but he merely leaned back and took a deep sigh.

'Potter,' he said. 'There are things about Riley Sevagio that even I don't know about and I prefer to keep it that way. He's a stubborn hot temper bastard, so it's best that you just leave the position where it is.'

Harry was feeling angrier by the second.

'The Holy Grail,' Harry said pushing his luck even more. 'You found the Holy Grail in New York City.'

Castor lay perfectly still until he looked at Harry. The same exuberant glare that was on his face the day he was found in Hogsmeade now etched his face. He grinned sadistically, his eyes firing with delight.

'Yea,' he said in a hollow voice. 'I found it.'

'But,' Harry stammered. 'What is it? What is the Holy Grail?'

Castor looked at Harry for a long moment, his grin widening.

'I don't suppose you see the coincidence of Professor Addams coming here, do you?' he asked, his voice level.

'I did,' Harry said.

'Well,' Castor said. 'I'll tell you this Potter. The Holy Grail cannot be found in textbooks or even from the brightest historian, but I guarantee you, you have heard of the Grail which I've found. In fact, you've actually seen it.'

Harry was dumbfounded.

'I have seen it?' he asked incredulously.

Before Castor could answer, the office door swung open and Madam Pomfrey appeared. The second she took sight of Harry, her expression turned sour.

'Potter!' she shouted. 'What in the name of Merlin are you doing here!'

Harry froze. Madam Pomfrey's eyes traveled from him to Professor Castor, then back. Castor simply smiled and raised his hand in welcome.

'Madam,' he said kindly. 'Young Potter here accidentally cut himself at dinner, and he needs your expertise to mend the wound. He saw me laying here and I invited him over to a little chat.'

Pomfrey's eyes darted to Castor, an innocent look on his beaten face. Harry stood up slowly, revealing the cut on his forearm, mentally thanking Castor for noticing the fresh cut.

'I was at dinner,' Harry mumbled. 'I was careless with the knife.'

'Fine, Mr. Potter,' Pomfrey huffed walking towards him and pulling out her wand. She gave a quick wave of her wand and the cut on Harry's arm began to mend itself. Several seconds later, the wound was completely healed.

'There,' Pomfrey said sternly. 'Now get back to your dormitory. It is nearly curfew.'

'Thank you, Madam Pomfrey,' Harry said dumbly.

'Do you require anything Professor?' she asked Castor in a sarcastic tone.

Castor rounded on Pomfrey, his eyes glittering, arching his eyebrows. 'Nothing you can do for me, you're a bit too old for my taste. Don't you have any candy-strippers working here?'

Pomfrey let out a screech of indignation before marching back into her office. As the door slammed behind her, Castor let out a breath.

'Why couldn't they have just killed me,' Castor muttered leaning back and grunting in pain.

'Thanks, Professor,' Harry said standing up.

'Sure,' Castor said. He opened his eyes and looked at Harry for a long minute then heaved a sigh.

'I know I haven't been that conversational with you Potter, but I have had a lot on my plate. This teaching is a nightmare, and due to this little trip of mine, I admit I've been burning the candle at both ends.'

Harry hesitated, the decided to get to the direct point.

'Professor,' he started. 'I want to know what happened to you. What is the Holy Grail, who attacked you, and why is Professor Addams coming to Hogwarts?'

Harry waited for Castor to reply for a minute, but the American remained silent.

'Well?' Harry said sharply.

Castor leaned his head and looked straight at Harry. He coughed violently then grunted in pain.

'You will know in due time, Potter,' he wheezed. 'For now, I need to get my strength back.'

Harry slumped in defeat. He was leaving the hospital wing empty handed. Before turning to leave, he slipped his hand into his back pocket.

'I almost forgot,' Harry said leaning closer to Castor's bed. 'I swiped a little something from Slughorn's office. Thought you might need it.'

Leaning even closer, Harry placed a small pewter flask filled to the brim with oak-matured mead into Castor's hand. Castor took it, popped off the top and took a deep swig. He grunted happily.

'Potter,' he said in a cold voice. 'You ain't that bad. You're far from great, but not bad all the same.'

Harry stood straight and grinned.

'Thanks,' he said. 'Well, I should probably go.'

He turned to leave but Castor grabbed him by his robes. Harry turned around.

'Potter,' Castor said and Harry was taken aback by the glare Castor gave him. It was a look that Castor had never given him. His eyes were full of concern. Harry felt Castor's grip on him tighten and his expression became more somber.

'Potter,' he said again. 'The desire for glory… is not a sin. Will you please try and remember that.'

Harry looked at Castor for a long minute until nodding solemnly.

'I will,' he said.

Castor released his hold on Harry's robes and waved his hand. Harry stepped back, turned and headed out the hospital wing. As he passed through the doors, he heard Madam Pomfrey let out a shriek.

'Professor Castor!' she shouted angrily. 'How in the same of Merlin did you obtain that flask!'

Harry put a hand to his mouth to keep from laughing as Castor replied in an irritated voice, 'Ah shut up you old hag, and bring me some fucking pretzels!'

A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed that chapter. I know I didn't answer a lot of questions that you might have, but rest assured, as the plot thickens, answers will unveil. Review, and tell me what you think so far. Cheers, Newcastle.

And I would like to give a shout out to my man, Mike, Happy Birthday my friend, I did my best.