Chapter Twenty-Six
Double Take
Sissy made her way to the library with her plate, carefully making her way to the Owl Room door, saying the password so that it would open and walking inside, listening for a moment.
"Happy Halloween," Sissy said.
"Hello, Sissy! Where's Pete?" Rus asked curiously.
"Oh, he got in a fight with Zelda Maxen and they were both escorted out. Where is it safe for me to eat at?" Sissy asked.
"Take the end chair where Quintin normally sits," Jay suggested, looking over his card with a frown.
"What were they fighting about?" Rus asked.
"Oh... well, Zelda is as intolerant as she is intolerable, really, and Pete took issue with it. But it wasn't long before Professor Ravenclaw stepped in... literally," Sissy explained.
"Literally?" Rus repeated questioningly.
"Yes, he took Zelda completely over by possessing her, and it was quite peculiar hearing his accent coming out of her mouth... not to mention the change in presence," Sissy commented.
"Really?" Rus said curiously.
"Rus, it's your turn," Jay pointed out.
"Sorry, it's just that it's not like Professor Ravenclaw to go and do something like that, though I've heard him threaten her with it often enough," Rus replied.
"No, it isn't like him, but I'm sure he had his reasons," Jay said, watching his brother put the card down.
"Do you mind reading the cards out loud? I'd like to enjoy the game as well," Sissy requested.
"Yeah, sorry. I'll start with this one," Jay said, picking up his next card. "'Would you rather spend four hours on a Sunday practicing the violin or RBF drills?' Tricky... it depends on what mood I'm in," Jay admitted.
"Well, what if it was this Sunday?" Rus asked.
"This weekend I'd probably choose the violin, since we have a game tomorrow night. I suppose I'll go with that," Jay decided, putting the card to the right.
"You're such a brilliant violist, Jay. You really ought to audition for the Euro-Wizard Orchestra," Sissy said. "My parents are trying to get me into their student program this summer just so that I can learn what it's like to go through the process."
"It's just a hobby. RBF is the life for me," Jay replied resolutely. "What's your card say, Rus?"
"'You're faced with a daunting budget for Christmas shopping this year. If you keep avoiding Hogsmeade, place the card below. If you wisely start shopping early, stopping into Toby's each visit for the best deals, go left,'" Rus read, and Sissy laughed outright. Even Jay let out soft chuckle.
"That is such a peculiar card game! How exactly did the cards even know all of that?" Sissy asked.
"Magic, obviously," Jay answered before Rus could comment. "The cards are charmed to question things that are relevant to you."
"That would explain what cards shuffle to the top, but it doesn't really explain how it can get that specific, does it?" Sissy asked. "Just what is the point of that game, anyway?"
"To make the longest path of cards," Rus explained, putting the card to the left.
"I'm surprised the two of you haven't played before," Jay admitted.
"I forgot I even had a set until Grandmother brought it up during Truth Seeker training. She was trying to get Quintin to play," Rus explained. "So when I heard you were thinking about coming in here for Halloween, I thought challenging you to a game would be a good way to pass the time."
"It has been a while," Jay agreed. "It's a nice way to clear one's head."
"How could that be true, when it's asking you such personal questions?" Sissy asked.
"I think it's because it forces you to make a decision on things that you've been mulling over for a long time," Rus explained.
"Yes, that does make sense," Sissy agreed. "Does that mean that perhaps you weren't completely certain of the RBF as a path after all, Jay?"
"It asked me what I'd rather do on the weekend, and that is all," Jay said evenly. "And Rus, you stop psychoanalyzing everything when you have absolutely no training."
"I was just expressing my opinion," Rus protested. "Anyway, Sissy, these games tend to last all night, but I don't suppose you would want to play with me sometime?"
"Sure, I suppose, as long as whatever charms is on it doesn't interfere with my earpiece," Sissy said.
"I wonder if Mr. Toby's thought of that? He's thought of everything else," Rus pondered, then tapped the deck in front of him. "Audio mode," he said.
"Would you like a male voice or a female voice?" asked a male voice that was decidedly Toby's.
"Let's hear the female voice," Rus suggested curiously, then picked up his next card.
"Due to bad budgeting, you find yourself out of money while abroad in a different country. If you get a part-time job, go left. If you'd rather hock your favorite Chocolate Frog cards, go right," said a voice that was, without question, Jennifer's voice.
"Oh, no! It's grandmother!" Rus exclaimed, and Sissy laughed again.
"Audio mode off," Jay said insistently, tapping it off. "I'm sorry, but she's our primary guardian. We have to hear her enough as it is."
"That's okay, I think I'd prefer Mr. Toby's voice anyway. Why do you suppose he chose her voice?" Sissy asked.
"Mr. Toby's always been infatuated with grandmother, apparently since he first saw her," Jay explained. "It's semi-innocent."
"Semi-innocent?" Sissy asked.
"Innocent in that he'd never do more than flirt, but not innocent in the way he thinks about her," Rus said.
"Or some of the wording he uses when he flirts with her when his wife isn't around," Jay agreed. "Not that Grandmother ever seems to notice. It's almost as if it's a form of self-entertainment for him. Is it my turn?"
"Yeah, I chose to sell Frog cards," Rus replied.
"All of them? Even the rare ones?" Sissy asked as if not quite believing him.
"Better than getting a job in the states. Who knows what sorts of hoops I'd have to jump through to do that," Rus replied.
"I think you just don't want to get a job in the first place. You know they're not going to let you get out of it next summer, right?" Jay pointed out.
"All the more reason not to do it while I'm at Whitebridge," Rus concluded. The door opened, and Librarian Boulderdash stepped in. "Hello, Boulderdash. I thought you were on the gates tonight."
"I'm just checking in," Boulderdash explained. Sissy frowned slightly, tilting her head. "I don't suppose you're expecting Mr. Miller in here tonight?"
"No, I think he had a date," Rus explained.
"Who are you?" Sissy asked with such alarm that Rus and Jay stopped the game and both looked over at them.
"I'm your supervisor, of course, as you can see quite plainly," Boulderdash said with a gesture and smile.
Before anyone could say anything else, Jay whipped out his wand, slamming the door behind Boulderdash and throwing locks all over it.
"Alright, Dashing Doppler. What are you doing here, and how did you get into this castle?" Jay demanded.
Rus threw off his surprise, pulling his wand out as well.
"That's a rather silly notion. You know as well as I do that the Dashing Doppler can't get into this castle..."
"Apparently you can," Sissy said firmly. "What do you want to see Jeremy for?"
"Just to talk," the Magician said calmly. "A followup interview... as it were. I was hoping that with everyone distracted, I might have a chance to speak to him again on a less formal level. But since he's not here..."
"If you take a step towards that other door, I'll make sure you never reach it," Jay snapped, clenching his wand.
"Oh, wait... you're one of Alexandria's boys, aren't you? Janus Clemmons, right? Oh, and you must be Icarus," the Magician said, meeting Rus' intense gaze. "It must be, there's too much of a resemblance for you two not to be her boys. I don't suppose you'd relay a message for me?"
"Why, when you're not leaving here? Noah, go fetch Grandfather!" Jay snapped, and the painting of Noah Dolan's ghost immediately left his frame.
"I simply want you to tell her that I think that she has very handsome children, and I look forward to seeing all of you again soon," the Magician said, pulling out a rose. "For you, my dear," he added, holding out the rose for Sissy to take.
With obvious hesitation, she took it and set it on the table. But in the time it took to set it down, the Magician began to morph into another form. Jay shouted out a warning and the other two ducked, but the Magician's form had shrunk so rapidly that Jay's shot went straight over him and heavy ice was blanketed on the wall behind him. Hurriedly, Jay jumped up on the table, spoiling the game as he raced over to try to maintain eye contact. But by the time he got over to Sissy's side, he saw nothing. Out of frustration, he stomped on the rose on the table while Sissy pulled her hands back defensively.
"Where did he go, Jay?" Rus asked, looking under the table. Jay glanced around with a frown, then noticed something and leapt down, trying Boulderdash's office door only to find it locked.
"There's a small gap between the floor and the door to Boulderdash's office. He must have turned into a bug or something and slipped under it," Jay concluded.
"So now he's loose in the castle?" Rus flailed.
Just then, all of the locks that Jay had put on the Owl Room door fell off and the door opened. Severus stepped inside with Andrew next to him, his wand out and looking as if he was ready for a battle. They took in the situation quickly, from Jay standing on the table with his wand out to Rus at the other end, and Sissy sitting in the chair with a smashed rose in front of her.
"Where is he?" Severus asked.
"I think he went under the office door," Jay reported, "but it's locked."
"Emergency override by order of the Headmaster," Severus ordered, and the door clicked and then swung open "Andrew?"
"On it," Andrew said, going over to the door and doing a careful sweep of the room with his wand. "No living creatures and no transfiguration readings on any inanimate objects, Father, but the window's cracked open. I think he's already left."
"Yes, but not necessarily for good. He could still be on the grounds," Severus replied, then turned to the three students. "Is everyone alright? What happened?"
"The Dashing Doppler came in disguised as Librarian Boulderdash and was looking for Jeremy Miller," Jay reported. "Fortunately, Sissy figured it out right away. I tried to trap him in here and called for help, but he got away anyway."
"Calling for help was wise, attempting to trap him in here with you was not," Severus told him sternly. "Trying to capture a shape changer requires a full team or a Transfiguration Master of Andrew's level to have even the hope of bringing him down, and if he had chosen to fight rather than run, the three of you would have been in extreme danger and unlikely to have won. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir," Jay replied somberly, and got down off the table.
"Did you happen to pick up anything about his intentions, Rus?" Severus asked, shifting his gaze, but Rus looked even more sullen than his brother.
"I didn't pick up anything," Rus said agitatedly. "In fact... I didn't even know that it wasn't Boulderdash." Severus squinted at that.
"I don't know why I didn't see something was wrong... Grandmother told me that I was pretty much done with that part of my training! I should have seen through it!" Rus blurted out, red from being angry at himself. "I guess I need more training than I thought."
"Let's not jump to conclusions, Rus. I had the same confirmation when I asked Professor Craw how you were coming along. There may be something else at work here," Severus replied. "Cecilia, you realized something was amiss from the start? How did you know it wasn't Boulderbash?" he asked.
"His accent and word choices aren't what I would have expected, and he didn't feel right," she explained, then wondered if that had come off as too vague. "He really didn't smell like a goblin either."
"Oh?" Severus prompted.
"There was a strong smell of roses... even before he tried to hand me one."
"Not only that, but I don't think he knew that Sissy couldn't see him," Rus said.
"He's right, when she asked him who he was, he emphasized that was obvious who he was by looking at him. That's when I pulled my wand in case he tried anything," Jay added.
"Noah, go find Janus, tell him to secure the castle and don't let anyone leave. Tell him the Dashing Doppler is in the castle and that the ghosts may be able to sense the difference, and have Sashassin sent to the gates to sniff out anyone who smells too much like roses. As for the three of you, leave everything where it is and come with us, I'm going to escort you to the Doorlift. Jay, Rus, you will be going straight to my study and staying there until anyone tells you otherwise. Cecilia, I would appreciate your help if you would accompany us back to the Great Hall to help us pick up any idiosyncrasies, but if you would prefer to go with them, you may," Severus said.
"Not at all. I'd be happy to help," Sissy assured him.
"Our first priority when we arrive is to get to Jeremy Miller, insure he is safe, and send him to my study. Once he is safely on his way, we will alert the Ministry to the security breach and shut down the Spectral Ball, checking guests as they leave," Severus said, opening the door.
"Oh, goodie. Won't that be fun," Andrew said sarcastically, stepping up behind the students.
"It's hardly the first time this ball has ended in disaster," Severus replied, escorting them out.
