Chapter 22 – The Final Warning

The next morning James told Noah everything he had seen in his dream he had after falling asleep in his detention.

"So you think this boy you've kept seeing wasn't real? He was just a figment of your imagination?" Noah said, trying to get his head round it all.

"I don't know. But I guess it would explain why no one else has seen him and why he always appears right after something bad has happened," James said, just as confused by it all as Noah was.

Even having had the whole night to think about it (James hadn't got much sleep), his head was just as baffled now as it was last night.

"So what now?" Noah asked. "Are you going to tell McGonagall that the boy isn't real?"

"No just in case he still is real, that dream I had last night might not even be related to the boy I've seen. Plus if I tell McGonagall I've been seeing a vision of my father as a boy, that won't look too good. She'll think I'm barmy," James said, wondering if Noah thought he was barmy too.

"I guess this means you're at a dead end now then? That boy was your only hope of getting some answers," Noah pointed out.

But James still had one lead he had forgotten about and this was someone he knew was real because he hadn't been the only one to see him. The cloaked figure who had been following him all those months ago after Slughorn's first supper club. The Fat Lady had seen them too sneaking into the Gryffindor common room not long before he discovered the wand in his trunk. Everything that had happened to James over the last few months, all the visions, hearing the strange voice and all the bad things that had been happening around the school all started after he found that wand. Whoever put it in his trunk must be behind it all. He had to find out who the cloaked figure was.

As the weeks went by James made no progress. The only other person who had seen the cloaked figure had been the Fat Lady and she wasn't able to give James any more information than what she had already told McGonagall at the time. She could only vaguely remember the person and that they wore a cloak but nothing else about them and that she felt compelled to open the door for them. James now really was at a dead end and by the time summer arrived even Godwin seemed to have given up on the whole thing. Nothing further strange had happened at the school since the last lot of graffiti was discovered on the portraits months ago now. She couldn't exactly spend all her time at Hogwarts when there were other crimes in the outside world to be investigated so she had left the school. But James felt less safe now she had gone, as if whoever was behind it might try something again now the school wasn't being constantly watched by an Auror.

After dinner James and his friends had set themselves up in the Gryffindor common room for another evening of homework. The amount James had was ridiculous and every time he got one piece finished, the teachers seemed to set him another three assignments. It was never ending.

"I swear all we ever do in the evenings these days is homework," Noah fumed as he closed his History textbook, having had enough of Binns' essay on the Giant rebellion of 1802.

"Well this is school, what did you expect?" Anwar noted.

"Asphodel," Neville randomly said aloud.

"What?" James asked as they all looked at Neville rather perplexed.

"Oh sorry nothing, just thinking out loud… I think," Neville said before they all went back to their work.

"I need to go to the library to get a book for my Potions assignment," Noah said a few minutes later.

"I'll come with you. I've got a load of books I need to get," James said, glad for a break and to stretch his legs. "Hey Neville we're just going to the library quickly but when we get back do you want to work on that Herbology assignment? James said.

"Sure. I think I've had enough of this Dark Arts essay now," Neville replied, looking rather stressed and flustered.

James and Noah left their books and work where they were and left for the library.

"Wait I've left the piece of paper with the list of books we need. I'll go run back and get it," James said as they were just about to head down the staircase and he quickly ran back through the portrait before it closed again.

When James entered the common room he found Polly sat in the seat he had just vacated with one of his books open in front of her.

"Excuse me that's mine," James said, snapping the book shut and pulling it away from her.

"Oh it was just lying on the table. I didn't realise they had that book in the library," Polly said, looking taken aback by James' bluntness.

James looked at the book and saw it was The Truth About Magical Creatures, the banned book that Hagrid had given him for Christmas. "It's my own copy," he said in a gloating manner.

"Oh right," Polly replied looking put out.

"Yeah there's some really fascinating information in there that you don't find in other books. It's teaching me so much. I'll probably be way ahead of the class when I start Care of Magical Creatures in our third year," James said, wallowing in the knowledge that Polly was probably getting very wound up that he might end up being better at her than something.

"Isn't it banned? You probably shouldn't have it," Polly retorted, trying to get her own back.

"It was a present from a teacher," James replied defensively before heading back to Noah and muttering under his breath to himself about how annoying Polly was.

After quickly finding the books they needed in the library, and after a telling off from Madam Pince for being too noisy, James and Noah started heading back to the Gryffindor common room. But as they were exiting the library James pushed the door open and smacked it right into someone on the other side, who dropped all the books they were carrying.

"I'm sorry," James said hastily and tried to help pick up the fallen books but it was kind of hard when he was already carrying a big pile of books of his own.

James looked up to see it was Professor Creevey who had been on the receiving end of the whack from the door.

"I'm really sorry Professor. Are you alright?" James said as Noah had also bent down to help pick up the fallen books.

"Ah Mr Potter, you seem to be making a habit of bumping into me," Creevey said jokingly, recalling the first time they had met properly when James had once again knocked into him when he hadn't been looking where he was going.

"I really am sorry," James pleaded.

"It's quite alright," Creevey noted. "The books took most of the impact."

"Shhhh!" Madam Pince said loudly in the direction of the library door, having heard all the commotion and was once again annoyed that it was James and Noah who were making the racket.

"But lets probably not mention that to Madam Pince," Creevey jested, whispering now. "I think she'd would have much rather it was me who was hurt than her books."

James and Noah had moved out of the doorway to the library and had closed the door behind them to stop Pince from getting anymore annoyed with them as they collected up the last of Professor Creevey's fallen books.

"Secrets of the Darkest Arts," Noah said, reading the title of the last book he picked up before passing it back to the professor. "Not the usual reading for a Muggle studies teacher," he said in what was meant as a light-hearted quip.

Professor Creevey suddenly looked a little embarrassed.

"I didn't even know the library stocked that book," James added, having heard about the book and some of the information it contained before.

"It's recently been re-added to the restricted section," Creevey said, having gone rather red. "As a teacher I very much believe that one can always learn more. And as I'm sure you'll appreciate more than most Mr Potter if we don't truly understand all the bad things that have happened before, how can we stop them happening again?" Creevey added before bidding them a goodbye and slipped into the library.

"That was rather profound and a bit odd," Noah remarked as he and James began walking back to their common room. "What was that all about?"

"His brother was killed by one of Voldemort's followers," James replied, realising something like that would probably haunt someone for the rest of their life.

When they got back Polly was nowhere to be seen, probably sulking James thought to himself but Neville was also missing.

"Where's Neville?" James asked as he approached Anwar's table.

"I dunno, he was spouting a load of stuff about plants I've never heard of. I think he went to the library to get a book," Anwar said, seeming like he was only half paying attention and was too busy writing one of his assignments.

"But we've just come from the library and didn't see him," James noted.

"Well I don't know," Anwar said, sounding annoyed by the continuing distraction. "Maybe he just went to get some fresh air. See some plants for real. I don't know. Look I need to get this finished for tomorrow or Professor Payne will give me detention."

"Come on lets head back to the library," Noah suggested. "Maybe we missed him."

James and Noah turned and headed back out the common room and towards the stairs.

"He has been acting a bit odd lately don't you think?" James said as they descended the staircase.

"Who Anwar?"

"No Neville," James replied.

"You mean odd for a grown adult who thinks he's eleven?" Noah joked.

James gave his friend a frown. "Well Anwar said he was talking abouts plants he'd never heard of. Earlier he randomly mentioned to me a plant we haven't been taught yet. I think maybe some of his memory is coming back."

"So perhaps he went to the library to get a book to find out more about the plants he's remembering?" Noah suggested.

"No I think maybe he's gone to actually see them. Like down to the greenhouses. I think we should go check there first," said James.

"But we're not meant to be outside the castle at night," Noah protested.

"It's not sundown yet. We can be there and back before it's dark. Come on," James said, not giving Noah any choice as he hurried his pace.

They headed outside and Noah could see the sun beginning to just set in the distance.

"Maybe we should just check the library again," Noah said worriedly and not wanting to get into trouble.

"Come on it won't take a minute to check the greenhouses," James replied as he steamed on ahead.

When they got down there they found the door to greenhouse three wide open. Inside it was rather gloomy as the sun was nearly set plus some of the plants inside had grown very large and blocked out what light was left.

"Neville are you in here?" James called out. Though no one replied he could hear a voice muttering away inside.

"Sneezewort is a member of the yarrow family. The dried leaves of this plant can be used to create a sneezing powder. The Flutterby bush produces flowers once a century that adapt their scent to attract the unsuspecting," the voice continued to say.

"Neville?" James said as he spotted his friend walking around the greenhouse looking at various plants.

"The Sopophorous plant develops bean pods. The beans from these are used in various potions," Neville said and finally spotted James and Noah. "Oh hey there. I'm just looking at all these plants. How comes I know so much about them? I don't recall being taught about them yet," Neville said, looking rather confused.

James was glad to see Neville was somewhat getting his memory back but he was worried about how confused he now seemed, trying to make sense of the memories that were coming back to him. "Come on Neville lets head back to the castle. It's nearly dark."

Neville, who seemed overwhelmed by it all, was only too happy to go with them but as they were about to head outside they heard a noise from the next greenhouse.

"Maybe it was one of the plants?" Noah said, now whispering and knowing many of the plants grown at the school had a mind of their own.

"I think we should check it out," James whispered back.

"I think we should just leave it and get out of here," Noah said, all three of them crouching down behind a big bush to remain out of sight.

"I agree," Neville added but before they could come to a decision they heard the door to the other greenhouse close and footsteps came along the gravel path towards them.

"They're coming right this way," Noah said in a panic. "Maybe we should hide?"

But before they could do just that the door to greenhouse three burst open.

Neville instinctively screamed, which made James jump and Noah scream too as a large figure stood in the doorway.

"What the bleeding…" the person at the door yelled out, dropping the sack they were carrying in surprise and stopping themselves before they said an expletive. "What are you lot doing in here?"

James stood up but Neville and Noah still cowered, crouched down behind him.

"Sorry Burns, we were just doing a bit of hands on studying," James said, addressing the groundskeeper, who had lifted up a lantern and his face was now illuminated.

Noah finally stood and had to help Neville up, who still looked scared.

"Come on back to the castle with you," Burns said as he picked up his sack. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."

They all said 'sorry' as the three of them passed Burns and made their way quickly back up to the castle before anyone else caught them and they got into more trouble.

"Do you think Burns will tell on us? For being out of the school at this time of night?" Noah asked, not wanting a detention, especially as he had so much school work to do, he just didn't have time for one.

"No I think we'll be alright. He always seemed pretty nice to me. I think we can trust him," James replied.

"Don't let Hagrid hear you saying that," Noah joked, but he noticed James didn't seem to find it funny. In fact James seemed to suddenly have a deathly expression on his face. "Come on my jokes aren't that bad."

Noah turned to Neville who seemed to have an expression of shock on his face too and he had gone very pale, like he'd seen a ghost. "What's up with you guys?" Noah asked.

It was then that Noah turned and saw why James and Neville had a look of terror on their faces. They were standing in front of the main entrance doors to the school. And there in giant ominous red letters was written 'MUDBLOODS BEWARE THE HEIR RISES THE END IS NEAR VENGEANCE AWAITS'.