One of the best things about the aftermath of the Second Task was that everyone wanted to know the details which meant Razor was getting as much attention as Silver. Silver noticed that Razor's version of events changed subtly with every retelling. At first, he gave what seemed to be the truth; it tallied with Coral's story, anyway. Locke had put all the hostages into a bewitched sleep in Echo's office, first assuring them that they would be quite safe, and would awake when they were back above the water. One week later, however, Razor was telling a thrilling tale of kidnap in which he struggled single-handedly against fifty heavily armed Merobians who had to beat him into submission before tying him up. "Don't worry, I had my dagger" he assured Leeta the Wolf who seemed a lot keener on Razor now that he was getting so much attention. Coral meanwhile was getting a bit annoyed, everyone had been teasing her over her being the thing Reynard wanted to save.
On the first Friday of March at breakfast the Flicky Silver sent to Elias had returned. It dropped the letter and immediately flew away again so Silver couldn't send it on another trip in March weather. The message from Elias was short.
Be at stile at end of road out of Spiral Hill (past Dervish and Banges) at two o'clock on Saturday afternoon. Bring as much food as you can.
Silver hit his fist against the table "He's coming back! What if he gets caught" "Well, he's made it this far and the place it's crawling with Prelates this time". Despite his worry Silver had to admit the idea of seeing Elias in person was exciting. It even managed to have some cheer as he walked down to double potions. This didn't last long though, Rutan, Rough, Tumble, Cassia and few Raiju girls were waiting for them at the door to potions. They were all laughing at something, it was magazine Cassia was holding. Silver then realised the picture on the cover was Coral. Cassia laughed harder "Something in here might interest you" she threw the magazine at them. Before they could read it Infinite opened the door and told them to get inside. The trio sat together and as Infinite turned to right instructions on the blackboard, they read the article.
Silver the Hedgehog's Secret Heartache
A boy like no other, perhaps, yet a boy suffering all the usual pangs of adolescence, writes Breezie the Hedgehog. Deprived of love since the tragic demise of his parents, fourteen-year-old Silver the Hedgehog thought he had found solace in his steady girlfriend at Soleanna, Muggle-born Coral the Betta. Little did he know that he would shortly be suffering yet another emotional blow in a life already littered with personal loss.
Miss Coral, a plain but ambitious girl, seems to have a taste for famous wizards that Silver alone cannot satisfy. Since the arrival at Soleanna of Reynard the Wolf the Sunset Hill Seeker and hero of the last World Sky Chase Cup, Miss Coral has been toying with both boys' affections. Reynard, who is openly smitten with the devious Miss Coral, has already invited her to visit him in Sunset Hill over the summer holidays, and insists that he has "Never felt this way about any other girl."
However, it might not be Miss Coral's doubtful natural charms that have captured these unfortunate boys' interest. "She's really ugly," says Cassia the Pronghorn, a pretty and vivacious fourth-year student, "But she'd be well up to making a Love Potion, she's quite brainy. I think that's how she's doing it"
Love Potions are, of course, banned at Soleanna, and no doubt Albus Locke will want to investigate these claims. In the meantime, Silver the Hedgehog's well-wishers must hope that, next time, he bestows his heart on a worthier candidate.
Razor shook his head "I told you. I told you not to annoy Breezie. Now she's made you out to be some kind of… Scarlet Woman". Coral's shock disappeared and she laughed "Scarlet Woman?" "That's-That's what my Mum calls them" "If this is the best Breezie can do, she's losing her touch. What a pile of old rubbish" she put the magazine down in an empty chair. She then smiled and waved at the Raijus who looked disappointed by her lack of anger. She looked back at Silver "There is something though. How did she know" "Know what? You haven't actually made a love potion, have you?" Razor asked. Coral rolled her eyes "Don't be stupid. Of course not. How did she know Reynard asked me to visit him in Sunset Hill". She blushed and glanced away from Razor who dropped one of his ingredients "What?" "After the Second Task he asked if I wasn't doing anything over the summer…" "And what did you say?" Razor asked with narrowed eyes. Coral tried to think "And he did say he'd never felt the same way about anyone else". Coral went even redder and tried to move on "But how did Breezie know? She wasn't there. Unless… Maybe she has a Chaos Emerald" "And what did you say?" "Well, I was too busy cheering Silver on to answer".
A fourth voice then spoke behind them "Fascinating though your social life undoubtedly is, Miss Coral, I must ask you not to discuss it in my class. Ten points from Shinobi". Infinite was standing next to their table "Ah, reading magazines under the table as well. A further ten points from Shinobi. But, of course, Mr Silver needs to keep up with his press cutting" the Raijus all laughed. Infinite then took the magazine and read it "'Silver the Hedgehog's Secret Heartache'. Dear, dear, Hedgehog, what's ailing you now?". Silver's face burned; the article was even worse when Infinite read it with his long paused. Coral was scarlet now and just stared down at the table as Infinite finished "'Silver the Hedgehog's well-wishers must hope that next time, he bestows his heart upon a worthier candidate'. How very touching. Well, I think I had better separate the three of you, so you can keep your minds on your potions rather than on your tangled love lives. Mr Razor, you stay here. Ms Coral, over there, beside Miss Cassia. Hedgehog, that table in front of my desk. Move. Now". Furious, Silver moved to the table at the front. Silver tried not to look at Infinite, he just continued to sort his ingredients. About an hour of silence Infinite said "Hedgehog, come with me". Silver didn't know what he could have possibly done. He stood up and Infinite brought him into his storeroom. It was huge with rows and rows of different ingredients. He began looking through trying to find something "Clever use of the Air Charm, Hedgehog. Your Marmolim friend was kind enough to charge it before he returned it to me". Silver was surprised, he never asked where Lue got it "Thanks for the help, sir" he said in a very contemptuous way. Infinite glared at him "All this press attention seems to have inflated your already overlarge head, Hedgehog". Silver didn't say anything, he knew Infinite was trying to provoke him, probably hoping to take 50 points before the end of class. Infinite climbed up a ladder to continue his search. He glanced down at Silver "You might be labouring under the delusion that the entire wizarding world is impressed with you. But I don't care how many times your picture appears in the papers. To me, Hedgehog, you are nothing but a nasty little boy who considers rules to be beneath him". Silver merely tilted his head and made a face of vague surprise as if Infinite insulting him wasn't the most common thing in his life.
Infinite took a bottle from one of the shelves and climbed back down. He was now right in front of Silver "So I give you fair warning, pint-sized celebrity or not, if I catch you breaking into my office one more time" "I haven't broken into your office" Silver said angrily. Infinite stepped closer "Don't lie to me. Shifter skin only comes from my private stores, and I know who stole it". Silver held his gaze; he knew what Shifter skin was since he helped Coral steal some two years ago. He was pleased to know Infinite suspisions were completely wrong "I don't know what you're talking about" "You were out of bed on the night my office was broken into! I know it, Hedgehog! Now, Striker might have joined your fan club, but I will not tolerate your behaviour! One more nighttime stroll into my office and you will pay". Silver gave a sarcastic nod "Okay, I'll keep that in mind". Infinite held out the bottle he took from the shelf "Know what this is?" "Bubble juice, sir?" "UT serum. a Truth Potion so powerful that three drops would have you spilling your innermost secrets for this entire class to hear. Now, the use of this potion is controlled by very strict Ministry guidelines. But unless you watch your step, you might just find that my hand slips right over your evening drink. And then... Then we'll find out whether you've been in my office or not". He then pushed a box of strange leaves into Silver's hand "Now hand those out" he ordered. Silver left the storeroom absolutely fuming and he placed a handful of leaves in front of each student and then returned to his desk. He considered what Infinite said. He should maybe start taking a leaf out of Striker's book and carry around a hipflask. There was a knock at the door "Enter" the door opened and everyone was confused to see Benedict walk across the classroom towards Infinite "We need to talk" he whispered, barely moving his lips. Silver was thankful to be at the front of the class now. He could pretend to work on his potion while being able to just hear what they were saying. Infinite was writing at his desk not looking at him "I will talk after my lesson, Benedict" "I want to talk now, Infinite. You've been avoiding me" "After the lesson" Infinite snapped. Benedict stayed in the room for the rest of the lesson, he looked incredibly worried. Silver kept an eye on the clock, with one minute until the ball he intentionally knocked over one of his bottles. He ducked under the table to clean it and in the confusion of everyone else leaving Infinite didn't notice. He stood and faced Benedict "What's this about" "This". Benedict removed the glove from his left hand and showed him something on his palm "Put that away!" "But you must have noticed. Let me see your hand" "Not here!". Infinite then noticed Silver "Hedgehog! What're you doing?" "Cleaning up my ingredients, sir" "Well, get out!". Silver took his equipment and rushed out of the room.
The three had gone to Spiral Hill the next day wearing scarfs and hats. Silver had a bag carrying a bunch of Mobani chicken legs and a flask of juice from the lunch table. They quickly bought random assortment of clothes to give to Lue and then followed the road out of the village like Elias said. At the end of the lane waiting for them was a familiar giant red dinosaur lizard "Hello, King" Silver said smiling. The lizard ran over to them and sniffed the bag containing the food. He wagged his tail and turned to lead them away. The trio followed him to the foot of a mountain and then to their horror up the mountain. It was easy for him, but they were quickly out of breath. After about half an hour Elias squeezed through a small cave entrance. They climbed through after him and found the inside of the cave to be quite large. To their delight at the end of the cave was Volt, the Black Hawk. The three of them bowed and Volt returned allowing them to approach and stroke him. Elias then transformed into his normal form. His fur was longer, he was very skinny, and he wore the same torn clothes he did last year "Food" he said hoarsely. Silver handed him the bag and he got to work "Thanks. I've been living off Mickys mostly. Can't steal too much food from Spiral Hill; I'd draw attention to myself". Silver was happy to see him but "What're you doing here, Elias?" "Fulfilling my duty as a Godfather. Don't worry about it, I'm pretending to be a lovable stray". He grinned but saw Silver's anxiety "Let's just say things are getting fishier. I've been stealing the paper every time someone throws one out, and by the looks of things, I'm not the only one who's getting worried". He gestured to a pile of Daily Prophets near Volt. Razor started to look through them. Silver wasn't convinced "What if you're seen" "No one else knows I'm a Shifter. Don't worry, it's fine".
Razor showed Silver one of the latest papers. It seems that Puff's illness and disappearance have made it into the papers and they're connecting it to Agnes Hopkins disappearance "He can't be that ill if he made it up here" Silver said. Razor shrugged "Hamlin told me it was overwork" "Maybe he's just not used to his Marmolim not doing everything for him" Coral said with clear disgust. Razor rolled his eyes but Elias looked interested "What happened to his Marmolim. Did he sack her?". Silver explained everything that happened at the World Cup involving Momo. By the end of it Elias was back on his feet pacing "He asked her to save a seat but didn't show up? Doesn't make any sense" "He said he was busy". Elias raised his head "Silver, when you took the box that had your Talismans in it, did you look inside?". Silver tried to remember "Uh, I don't think so. It was late, we just brought it back to the tent". He then realised what he was getting at "What? You think someone took my gloves when we were up in the Box?" "It's possible" "Momo didn't steal them!" Coral said. Elias shook his head "Momo wasn't the only one up there? Was there anyone you'd suspect?" "Uh, Max, the Sunset Hill minister, Clutch and his family". Razor snapped his finger "I bet it was Clutch" "And Barker" Silver continued ignoring Razor's suspicion. Elias considered "I don't know much about Barker. What's he like" "He's alright. He keeps offering to help me" "Does he now? Why would he do that?". Silver shrugged "He says he's taken a liking to me". Coral then remembered "We saw him?" "What?" "We saw him right before the Dark Mark was fired into the sky". Razor scoffed "Oh, come off it. You think Barker conjured the Dark Mark?" "He's more likely than Momo". Elias agreed "Speaking of Momo what did Puff do when she was found?" "He looked in the bushes where they caught her". Elias laugh as if his suspicions were confirmed "Of course. Of course, he'd try an pin it on someone else. And then when he couldn't he got rid of her".
Coral nodded "Exactly, he sacked her, just because she hadn't stayed in her tent and let herself get trampled" "Coral, will you give it a rest with the Marmolim stuff?" Razor said. Elias shook his head "She has a better view on Puff than you do, Razor. If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals" "Momo isn't inferior" Coral said defensively. Elias apologetically nodded "I merely meant that's how Puff sees her". He sat back down deep in thought "Puff's other behaviour isn't like him. Missing the World Cup. Working to bring back the Emerald Championship and then stop coming. If he's ever taken a day off work because of illness before this, I'll eat Volt" "You know Puff then?" Silver asked. Elias' face darkened "Oh, I know Puff alright. He's the one who sent me to Prison Island. Without trial" "What!?" "Oh, yeah. Puff used to be Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, didn't you know?". The stunned trio shook their heads "Why?" "He was close to becoming Minister for Magic. Powerful Wizard, Puff and power hungry". He knew what they were thinking form their expressions "Not a Finitevus supporter. No, Puff was always very outspoken against the Dark Side. But then a lot of people who were against the Dark Side... Well, you wouldn't understand, you're too young" "That's what my Dad said. Try us" Razor dared him.
Elias grinned "Alright. Imagine that Finitevus was powerful now. You don't know who his supporters are, you don't know who's working for him and who isn't; you know he can control people so that they do terrible things without being able to stop themselves. You're scared for yourself, and your family, and your friends. Every week, news comes of more deaths, more disappearances, more torturing. The Ministry of Magic's in disarray, they don't know what to do, they're trying to keep everything hidden from the Muggles, but meanwhile, Muggles are dying too. Terror everywhere, panic, confusion. That's how it used to be. Well, times like that bring out the best in some people and the worst in others. Puff's principles might've been good in the beginning, I wouldn't know. He rose quickly through the Ministry, and he started ordering very harsh measures against Finitevus' supporters. The Diamond Cutters were given new powers, powers to kill rather than capture, for instance. And I wasn't the only one who was handed straight to the Prelates without trial. Puff fought violence with violence and authorized the use of the Unforgivable Curses against suspects. I would say he became as ruthless and cruel as many on the Dark Side. He had his supporters, mind you plenty of people thought he was going about things the right way, and there were a lot of witches and wizards clamouring for him to take over as Minister of Magic. When Finitevus disappeared, it looked like only a matter of time until Puff got the top job. But then something rather unfortunate happened. Puff's own son was caught with a group of Nocturnus who'd managed to talk their way out of Prision Island. Apparently, they were trying to find Finitevus and return him to power".
He casually threw one of the chicken legs to Volt before continuing "Nasty little shock for old Puff, I'd imagine. Should have spent a bit more time at home with his family, shouldn't he? Ought to have left the office early once in a while gotten to know his own son" "Was his son a Nocturnus?" Silver asked. Elias shrugged "No idea. I was on Prison Island myself when he was brought in. This is mostly stuff I've found out since I got out. The boy was definitely caught in the company of people I'd bet my life were Nocturnus but he might have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, just like the Marmolim" "Did Puff try and let his son off?" Coral asked. Elias let out a bellowing laugh "Let him off? I thought you knew him, Coral. Anything that threatened to tarnish his reputation had to go; he had dedicated his whole life to becoming Minister of Magic. You saw him dismiss a devoted Marmolim because she associated him with the Dark Mark again. Doesn't that tell you what he's like? Puff's fatherly affection stretched just far enough to give his son a trial, and by all accounts, it wasn't much more than an excuse for Puff to show how much he hated the boy. He sent him straight to Prison Island". As he spoke his smirk disappeared "I saw the Prelates bringing him in, watched them through the bars in my cell door. He can't have been more than nineteen. They took him into a cell near mine. He was screaming for his mother by nightfall. He went quiet after a few days, though they all went quiet in the end except when they shrieked in their sleep" Elias shivered from the memory. Silver couldn't believe it, Puff always came off as a bit cold but sending his son to Prison Island "Is he still there?" "No. He died about a year after they brought him in. Most go mad in there, and plenty stop eating in the end. They lose the will to live. You could always tell when a death was coming, because the Prelates could sense it, they got excited. That boy looked pretty sickly when he arrived. Crouch being an important Ministry member, he and his wife were allowed a deathbed visit. That was the last time I saw Puff, half carrying his wife past my cell. She died herself, apparently, shortly afterward. Grief. Wasted away just like the boy. Crouch never came for his son's body. The Prelates buried him outside the fortress; I watched them do it".
He took deep breath trying to get the Prelates out of his mind "After that I've only found out after I escaped but apparently, he lost popularity after that. His son got a lot more sympathy after he died, people started to ask how a nice lad from a good family could have gone a stray. And there were signs, big signs that Puff should have seen. His son was named after him, but he changed his name. Wanted to get away from the father. The conclusion was Puff just didn't care about him. So, Max the Chipmunk got the job and Puff was shunted sideways into the Department of International Magical Cooperation". Silver was beginning to get what Striker told him "Striker said Puff is obsessed with catching Dark Wizards" "Oh, yeah, it's become a bit of an obsession with him. If you ask me he's trying to get a bit of his own glory. The one thing I don't get is him going up to Infinite's office". Silver was surprised "What? You trust Infinite?" "Oh, no, it's Puff's methods I don't understand. If he wanted to spy on Infinite, why hasn't he been coming to the tournament. It'd be the perfect excuse" "So you think Infinite is up to something?". Before Elias could answer Coral jumped in "Look, I don't care what you say, Locke trusts Infinite" "Oh, give it a rest, Coral. Locke's brilliant but that doesn't mean he can't make mistakes" "Why did he save Silver in first year? Why did he lend him the Air Charm?". Elias looked like considering Infinite's innocence caused him pain "You've both got a point. Ever since I found out Infinite was teaching here, I've wondered why Locke hired him. Infinite's always been fascinated by the Dark Arts, he was famous for it at school. Slimy, oily, greasy-haired kid, he was".
He, Silver and Razor grinned at each other "Infinite knew more curses when he arrived at school than half the kids in seventh year, and he was part of a gang of Raiju who nearly all turned out to be Nocturnus. Infinite may not have been accused himself but he's certainly clever enough to get out of it" "And he's got some kind of relationship with Benedict" Silver said. Elias sighed "My only problem is I can't see Locke letting Infinite teach if he ever worked for Finitevus" "Then why would Striker search his office?" "Striker doesn't trust anyone except maybe Locke. He probably searched every teacher's office. I'll say this about Striker though, he never killed if he could help it. Always brought people in alive where possible. He was tough, but he never descended to the level of the Nocturnus. Puff, though, he's a different matter. Is he really ill? If he is, why did he make the effort to drag himself up to Infinite's office? And if he's not. what's he up to? What was he doing at the World Cup that was so important he didn't turn up in the Top Box? What's he been doing while he should have been judging the tournament?". Razor then had an idea "I could ask Hamlin, he's Puff's personal assistant. But I need to make sure I don't think he's up to anything dodgy. Hamlin idolizes Puff". Elias nodded "And ask about Agnes as well. The Daily Prophet isn't giving the whole story. Barker keeps going on about her having a terrible memory but that's not the Agnes I knew. She was a bit dim but not like what he's saying". He gave a tired sigh "What time is it?" "Half past three" "You three better get back up to the school. Now, listen…". He looked very hard at Silver "I don't want you lot sneaking out of school to see me, all right? Just send notes to me here. I still want to hear about anything odd. But you're not to go leaving Soleanna without permission; it would be an ideal opportunity for someone to attack you" "No one's attacked me yet… If you don't count the Tasks" "I don't care. I'll breathe freely again when this tournament's over, and that's not until June. And don't forget, if you're talking about me among yourselves, call me Chomps, okay?". Elias turned back into Chomps and led them back down the mountain. Once they were back in the village they all patted his head and watched him go back up. The three made their way back to the castle "Wonder what Hamlin thinks about Puff's son" Coral said. Razor scoffed "He probably doesn't care. He'd probably just say that Puff had enough integrity to not show his son favouritism" "Hamlin wouldn't hand his family to the Prelates". Razor laughed "Maybe if we were holding him back too much".