Chapter Twenty-Four: Water
It was like Halloween all over again. The entire school seemed to be buzzing about what had happened with Erin and Nick on the stairs to Dippet's office, although, like before, some of the facts seemed to have been lost and morphed into very unbelievable rumors. Albus, however, revered the attention that he too was getting, for during the few hours that Erin and Nick were forced to remain in the hospital wing, Albus found himself in the center of attention; as their best friend, people assumed he was bound to know something.
But only the three of them knew that someone was trying to kill Dippet.
"The cases must be related," Albus said as they walked to Auctorology together. "It's clearly the same culprit. Someone killed Seamus Finnigan. And someone's trying to kill Dippet."
"I don't think so…" muttered Nick. "If it was the same guy, there would be some sort of pattern."
"Is it because Finnigan was tortured?" Albus asked. Erin saw Nick flinch. They both had silently agreed not to reveal to Albus the contents of their interrogations. "I could see how that would throw you off. But there's no reason why to think Dippet's prospective killer isn't capable of that as well."
They fell silent as they filed into Ender's classroom and took their seats. Nick whispered to Erin, "You think what Albus is saying is true? That my dad might be the one trying to kill Dippet? Because if that's true… he could be in this school right now."
Was that anger, fear, or excitement Erin sensed in his voice?
Ender swooped over their desks. "Mr. Grindelwald," he said in a low voice, "please come up to my desk for a moment."
Nick shot Erin and Albus a worried look, and then followed Ender up to the front of the class. Erin watched them exchange a few words, and then Nick came back clutching something in his hand. "What was that about?" she asked.
"I had to pick a new stone," Nick said, showing her the new rock. This one was no longer multi-colored, but a very pale blue. For some reason, Nick's voice was shaking with anger, and he sat down very abruptly and loudly.
"Our second lesson with the elements will be water," Ender said, oblivious to or ignoring the way Nick slammed his bag onto the floor. "Rocks on your desks and wands out, please.
Ms. Zabini, tell me about the water element."
Charlie, who looked taken aback at being addressed to, quickly recovered. "Water is the symbol for peace and life, and contains many healing properties."
"Correct. Five points to Gryffindor." Several of the Slytherins hissed and Erin saw Charlie shift awkwardly. "However, water also," said Ender, "has destructive properties, like all the other elements as well. Today, we will be drowning our stones with water."
There was an immediate outburst of protest. Erin instinctively clutched Binns in her hands. Even some of the Slytherins were looking horrified. Scorpious in particular was attempting to stow his own rock safely away into his bag.
Ender raised his hand for silence, smiling. "I'm sorry to offend you like that. It was only meant to be a joke. I didn't realize how attached you had all grown to your rocks," he said, as half of the class cast their eyes downward or flushed at their own foolishness. "Nevertheless, we will be applying water to our lesson. There is one property of water Ms. Zabini forgot to mention- does anyone know it? No?
"Very well then. Water is also the symbol for great wisdom. Wisdom is ever changing, ever evolving, and something most people-" he observed them all with amused eyes- "children and adults, seem to lack. But it is something, unquestionably, that your stones lack. However, it is important for you to understand that you cannot give your stones true wisdom, just like you cannot give them a true life.
"By giving your stones an artificial wisdom, you are giving them the ability to think for themselves with only common sense. If you have paid them enough close attention, you should have noticed they tend to move or do things without purpose, or else stupidly place themselves in unfavorable situations.
"This spell is called fons consilium. Where I discovered it people, more specifically students, seemed to think if they performed this pull upon themselves before a tests, they would miraculously know the material in order to pass. I would not suggest it," said Ender grimly. "Not only are you not more knowledgeable, but the spell in fact reduces your knowledge, subjecting it merely to a conscience and common sense. This is, of course, reversible, but I highly recommend you do not try it.
"Your rocks, though, would fare better with this spell. Before you are small basins of water," Ender said, waving his hand and the bowls appeared on each student's desk, "which you will use to siphon a stream of water out with your wand. I presume you have all been taught to do this already in Charms?" There was a murmur of assent. "Excellent, now pay close attention to my instructions. You will siphon the water with your wand. While the water is still attached you will point your wand directly at the rock and say fons consilium. If the spell was successful, the water should be absorbed into the rock. Everyone clear? Let's get moving."
He came over to the Gryffindors. "Mr. Grindelwald, if you will please first perform the air lesson we conducted last class," he said, and Nick nodded, his lips pressed too tightly in anger to speak. Erin watched the two of them interestedly. What had Ender said to make Nick so angry?
Erin turned away from the fuming Nick and concentrated on the basin of water. No sooner had she raised her wand than there was a resounding crack and the water basin split in half. Erin jumped up as water poured all over her desk, managing to soak its way through her robes. The Slytherins chortled with laughter and Erin felt her face flush. Ender repaired the bowl with a flick of his wand and said, "It's a simple siphoning charm, Ms. Lyths."
"I know," Erin gritted between her teeth, hey eyes still on the Slytherins. Was it her imagination or had the look on Charlie's face been triumphant? As Ender sidled away, Charlie gave Erin a supercilious wink. "You'll pay," Erin mouthed to her. Charlie only shrugged and then turned to smile at Mulciber, who had clasped her on the back.
"Here Erin, you can share mine," Albus said, pushing his basin closer to Erin. She angrily moved her chair beside his. "I'm going to kill Charlie," she muttered furiously, brandishing her wand over the water. A thin stream attached itself to her wand in midair. Albus copied her. "I wouldn't start a fight, if I were you. You don't want things to get out of hand," he warned. "Things are already out of hand," hissed Erin, motioning to her damp clothing.
Albus shrugged and Erin turned away, annoyed he wasn't taking her side. She pointed her wand at Binns. The water, just as Ender described, dissolved and disappeared into the rock. Was it just her, or did Binns look like he had a glow about him?
"I did it too!" cried Albus beside her. "And on the first try. So much easier than air, huh, Nick?"
But Nickk, who had already given his stone a breath of life, seemed to be having trouble completing the water task. "It-just-wont-go," he growled, pointing his wand with siphoned water at the rock and repeating the spell over and over again. Sometimes, the spell did nothing; mostly, the water merely bled onto the desk.
"It's like this, Nick," Albus explained eagerly, waving his own wand. Erin knew it was because Albus never got the chance to outshine Nick during class.
"I don't need your help," Nick hissed. For a second, Albus' face dropped. But he plastered a smile on his face and picked up Xavier as though examining him.
Erin knew Albus' sunny disposition was a façade. She caught him off guard sometimes in those rare moments when he allowed anger, sadness, or hurt to break through the wall he had built around himself. She wondered why he had built the wall in the first place, but then realized it must be for the same reason she had built one around herself.
"Well done," Ender lauded them after the last person, Nick, managed to perform the spell. "And five points each to Gryffindor and Slytherin for Mr. Potter and Mr. Warrington for completing the spell first." The Gryffindors clapped Albus on the back and Erin felt a wave of jealousy. What about her, hadn't she done it before Albus had?
As the bell rang and the class moved toward the exit, Erin approached Ender furiously. "I was the first to complete the spell," she said. Ender, who had been staring absentmindedly at his collection of books, met her eyes. In that moment, she saw the red burst at the outer edge of his aura. "I didn't see anything," he said in a cold whisper.
Erin opened her mouth to retort; then she abruptly turned around and marched out of the classroom.
"He hates me."
"He does not."
"He does too."
Charms class, as always, was filled with a buzz, and Erin chose to tell Albus about Ender, only to find herself even more frustrated when Albus didn't take her side for the second time that day.
"You're completely overreacting," Rose said from beside Albus. Erin glared at her. "I wasn't asking you." Was it so difficult just to get her friends to believe her?
But Nick was shaking his head at Albus and Rose. "I reckon Erin is right," he said, "and I think he's got it out for me as well."
"Listen to yourselves!" Rose said as the mouse who's fur color she was supposed to be changing turned blue. "Professor Ender is a teacher, teachers don't arbitrarily pick on students."
"Come on, you know that's not true," said Albus, "Professor Snape used to hate my dad."
"Well, turned out he was good after all. Your dad even named you after him. Severus. What a silly name."
"Hey!" Albus retorted, turning to her angrily.
But Erin shot Nick a significant look. "What if Rose is right?" she whispered. "What if its not arbitrary?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean… what if there's a reason why he dislikes us. He said he's been traveling abroad for years, almost his whole life, collecting information…. What if while he was abroad…?" She left the question hanging but Nick understood. "You think he ran into one of our families? Highly unlikely," he concluded, although he did look a bit nervous.
"You're talking about Professor Ender, right?" came a voice from beside them. It was Aelxander Rade. His eyes were fixed on Erin and she felt a prickle of discomfort. "I've heard all about him," Alexander said in somewhat of an arrogant voice. "He and Dippet used to be big enemies back in school."
"No way!" Nick exclaimed. "Dippet relies on him for everything."
"Well, Dippet's always been a no good, feeble, blundering fool," Alexander said harshly. 'But they got into a huge fight in their seventh year, and Ender was expelled."
"Expelled?"
"Oh yes," Alexander nodded, smiling. He seemed to love the raptness with which he held their attention. "Expelled. And then after that, he disappeared. Went abroad for years. Most say he dabbled in the Dark Arts and got himself into trouble. Of course, saintly, heroic Dippet had to go save him. They traveled abroad together for a while when that happened, and that's all I know thus far."
Nick and Erin exchanged looks. Ender had been expelled? He had gotten into trouble with the Dark Arts?
"Oh yeah, and another thing," Alexander said, leaning closer. "Ender killed Dippet's wife."