Chapter 10
'First time you accidentally used magic?' Albus wrote on the scrap piece of parchment paper, sliding it across the stone floor of the hideout they now sat in, behind a door to a broom closet that was, for some reason, enchanted to perfectly resemble the outer wall, only a few paces from Goyle's office. A previous student had already put a peep hole in the door, but they chose not to stand all night, only if they heard footsteps. Goyle was not light on his feet.
Albus watched as Scorpius thought of his answer, sticking his tongue between the small gap of his front teeth as he concentrated. Albus realized he was staring, and quickly averted his gaze to the wall behind the blonde boy before he was noticed. Someone had scratched in the stone in clumsy handwriting 'S. B. hid here, 1977', and underneath, fresher and neater, 'F+G hid in '95'. Albus was thinking about adding his own addendum when the rustling of paper alerted him that he'd received an answer in his silent conversation.
"First I remember was when I was four or five. I made the mushy peas on my plate disappear at dinner b/c I didn't want to eat them. You?" Albus bit back a laugh at the thought of a tiny Scorpius staring angrily at a pile of green mush on his plate until it disappeared. He scrawled his own answer quickly underneath Scorpius' neat cursive. 'Around same age. Unlocked the bathroom door cuz James was in there, threatening to dunk my teddy in the toilet.' He quickly handed it back to Scorpius who read it, his lips curling up in amusement as he mouthed 'teddy?' and Albus hit him lightly on the shoulder to counteract his teasing.
'fave holiday'? Scorpius wrote,
'my bday' Albus wrote back, 'you'?
'your birthday isn't a holiday' Scorpius replied
'it should be'
'prat. Fave sweet?'
'fizzing whizbees. Fave muggle sweet?'
Scorpius paused at this one, hovering his quill over the parchment for a second longer than usual. 'Never had one' was his reply, slightly blushing as he slid the parchment back to Albus. Albus wrote back 'YOU'VE NEVER HAD A FRUIT PASTILLES?!' but Scorpius never got the chance to answer, because as soon as he read it, the sound of a creaking door reached both of their ears.
The two boys leapt up as silently as they could, jostling for a position at the peephole. This was the first time they had seen Goyle leave his office after curfew when he wasn't scheduled for rounds. Albus and Scorpius had been keeping watch as best they could for the last two months, with nothing to report to Elle. The only reason Albus had convinced Scorpius to keep it up for this long is that they couldn't keep watch every night, or even every week, since school had been taking up more and more of their time. It seemed as if every professor had conspired to keep them busy up until the very last minute, and there were multiple essays and group projects due in the upcoming month of December.
Albus and Scorpius watched with bated breath as the door to Goyle's office swung fully open. Out came Goyle first, followed by a few figures that surprised Albus so much that Scorpius had to clamp his hand over his mouth to keep him quiet. There were about ten students in all following Goyle, among them the familiar faces of Tobias Travers and Esmond Warbeck. Albus recognized the face of Avery, an upper year on the Slytherin Quidditch team, but no one else. The students seemed to be cheerful, chatting amongst themselves, with Goyle silently leading the way. Albus strained his ears to catch any snippets of conversation, but came up short, and the two boys could do nothing but watch as the group filed out of the corridor.
Scorpius seemed to wait until he could count to ten before he let his hand fall from Albus's mouth, which was probably a good idea, because as soon as he could speak Albus was saying "see! I knew Goyle was up to something. It's well past curfew and he has a bunch of students with him in his office? With Tobias and Esmond among them? This is so suspicious…" Albus trailed off only because Scorpius was shushing him, and he remembered that he really should be whispering.
It was Scorpius who realized a crucial detail "Esmond and Tobias are probably going back to the dungeons. They'll realize we aren't in bed." Albus's eyes widened and uttered only two more words: "third floor?" referring to the dungeon shortcut in the third-floor girl's bathroom that led them almost directly to the Slytherin common rooms. Of all people, it was Isidre who had shown Albus that one, claiming his dad always talked about a shortcut they could find in that area. The two boys set off, running as quickly and as silently as they could, praying they could beat the group of Slytherins back to their dorm.
Elle was sitting stiffly in Ruth's bed, the two girls gazing intently at Ruth's watch, which was laid on the deep blue comforter in front of them. "11:07" Elle announced triumphantly "I think I can go down now." Immediately, the three girls who had been crowding around Ruth's bedposts sighed. "I can't believe you're allowed to go to the party" Clementine said, and Evelyn and Faye nodded in agreement. Elle was truly shocked that her other dormmates were even speaking to her, let alone hanging by Ruth's bedside.
The three girls, who usually paid Ruth and Elle no mind, had overheard Elle talking about the party, and were now wholly interested in her night. Clementine had insisted that Elle borrow her jumper ("be sure to tell everyone who asks that you borrowed it from me" she had insisted while forcing the fabric over her head), and Evelyn had instructed her to tell her "if Robbie was there, and if so, who he was talking to" referring to the fourth year Ravenclaw with the chestnut curls that many of the younger girls had a crush on.
Elle had tried desperately to explain to the three girls that she wasn't really going to the party, only coming down for the Quidditch stuff, but they wouldn't hear of it. "You'll be seen down there" Faye had said as she brushed out Elle's hair, having insisted that it be taken out of its usual plait. "I can't believe Elle is the first girl in our year to be invited to a party" Evelyn had wailed, and Elle wasn't completely sure that was a compliment.
Waiting "at least seven minutes" before going down was another insistence of the three girls in front of Ruth's bed, and Elle had only agreed because it seemed easier than arguing. Now that the time was up, Elle stood up gratefully, glad to be away from all the unusual attention. She flashed an apologetic smile at Ruth, hoping that she understood from it that Elle was sorry to have to leave her up in the dorm, before heading off. "We're waiting up! You have to tell us everything" were the last words she heard as she shut the door.
Sighing in relief, Elle tried her best to exude confidence as she made her way down the winding staircase. At the entrance to the common room, Elle was stopped by a tall fifth year boy, who sneered "fourth years and up only." Elle stammered out something about Quidditch, before the boy stepped back "blimey Elle! Didn't recognize you with that hair. Henry told me you'd be coming down for the cheers." The older boy let her pass and Elle thanked him, trying to still the panicked beating of her heart. The fact that the fifth-year boy knew her name, and she didn't know his, she hadn't even registered.
Stepping into the common room, Elle was immediately overwhelmed. There were dozens of older students standing in loose groups, talking and laughing. Many of them were holding bottles in their hands, and Elle could smell the alcohol, a rancid sort of sweetness, hanging heavily in the air. Archie was the first to spot her, and he called her over to where he was standing, clapping her on the back, hard, in his enthusiasm. Elle smiled up at him as she tried not to lose her balance. His cheeks were unusually red.
"OI. ISLA" Archie called, catching the attention of Elle's captain, who was surrounded by a few students, many of them male admirers. Isla's eyes rested on Elle, who tried best to smile though she was feeling extremely out of place. Isla smiled in response, standing on a nearby table and yelling for silence. A hush soon fell upon the crowd, all attention turning to the young captain.
"Right" Isla started "thank you all for coming out today to show your support. Let's hear it for bringing home the win!" A clattering of applause, shouts, and whistles followed. Isla waited patiently for the noise to die down before continuing "as is long-standing Ravenclaw tradition, after every win, we give our cheer, and award a player of the game. So, without further ado" Isla said, swaying slightly from her perch on the table before catching her balance. She raised her hands as if conducting, and as she dropped them, some of the older students from the edges of the room started calling out. It took Elle a minute to realize they were saying 'caw', in a crude approximation of an eagle call.
As more and more students in the room started joining in, the energy lifted to a frenzy. Archie tapped Elle on the back again, and she took the hint, raising her own hands to her mouth and joining in on the call. Isla started slowly raising her hands like a conductor again, and gradually, the 'caws' morphed into 'raws', until the point where Isla's hands met overtop her head, and the whole crowd called out "RAAAAAVENCLAW". With her arms still above her head, Isla dived off her table, caught by the group of people below her. The effect was amazing. Elle could feel the adrenaline pumping as unseen hands from the crowd reached out to pat her and Archie on the back. In that moment, Elle couldn't imagine being anything but a Ravenclaw.
The cheering and hollering went on for a few more minutes, before Isla climbed back on her chair and the crowd went quiet again. Elle saw Louis' silvery head fighting his way through the rabble, holding a large baseball cap in his hands. "Alright" Isla called out "voting is in! and player of the game is…" Elle watched as Louis tapped the rim of his baseball cap with his wand, and a piece of parchment floated out. Isla snatched it out of the air, unrolled it, and called out in a loud voice "ELLE."
Elle's cheeks felt numb from how wide she was smiling, Archie pushed her forward towards Isla, and the crowd made way for her. "We usually award the player of the game with a free shot" Isla said, amused, "but I think in this case a butterbeer will do." The partygoers laughed as Elle accepted her gift from Henry, who stood nearby. She turned to face the crowd, raising the bottle above her head uncertainly. The crowd cheered, and somewhere behind her the music restarted. The Quidditch events were over, and Elle had been made player of the game. Elle wasn't sure if it was just the feeling of pure joy rising in her chest, but her first sip of butterbeer was the most heavenly thing she'd ever tasted.
Henry smiled at Elle, putting a hand on her back and guided her out of the crowd, to where chairs and tables had been pushed against the wall. It was a bit quieter there, so he didn't have to raise his voice when he spoke. "It's going to get a bit rowdy in here soon I reckon. Feel free to take a seat here and finish your drink before you head back up, but don't stick around too late." Elle nodded, and Henry gave her a big thumbs up before he was absorbed again by the crowd of dancing teenagers.
Elle sat contentedly on her armchair, still riding the high of getting player of the game. She watched the older students with some interest, feeling as if they were a different species. She even had to move to a different chair when the one next to her was taken up by a snogging couple. Sitting back down, Elle realized she was closer to the entrance of the tower.
"Where the fuck is Potter" she heard an angry voice exclaim "I paid him nine galleons to run some snacks up from the kitchens." "Have you checked the nearest broom closet?" his friend replied, and the two snickered. Elle had a feeling that a joke was being made that was going over her head. Elle tilted her bottle back to finish the dregs of her butterbeer. She sighed, having no more excuse to stay downstairs, but not really wanting to go to bed. An idea suddenly popped into her head.
She turned towards the short hall that led to the Ravenclaw entrance, where the two voices had come from. "I can grab some snacks for you" Elle said, trying to sound more nonchalant than she felt. When the figures turned to face her, she immediately regretted her decision. Lester was looking at her as if she was something that he'd just scraped off the bottom of his shoe. "You?" he replied. Elle shrugged, trying to look braver than she felt. The other boy that was with Lester looked like he was about to protest, but Lester silenced him with a look. "Sure. Go ahead. The whole team seems to think you shouldn't be treated like some kid, so what's the problem." He leaned against the wall, gesturing with a sweeping hand that she could leave.
Embarrassed and angry, Elle stormed out of the tower. She was so mad she almost forgot to put on her disillusionment charm. Fighting the urge to mutter under her breath, Elle made her way to the kitchens, easily sidestepping Professor Flitwick doing his rounds on the second floor. It was only when she got to the kitchens that she realized her mistake. She could very well be invisible, but a floating tray of pumpkin pasties would probably not go unnoticed in the Hogwarts corridors. Cursing her own stupidity, Elle sunk into one of the armchairs by the fire, accepting a cup of tea from the concerned elves around her.
It was only a few minutes later that Elle saw the kitchen door open, seemingly of its own accord. A few seconds later, James Potter appeared out of thin air as he swept off his cloak. He was holding a piece of scrap parchment in his hands and was completely absorbed by its contents. She heard James mutter "what is Albus doing in the girl's toilets." "How do you know where Albus is right now?" Elle asked curiously, and James jumped about three feet in the air, swearing loudly.
"Jesus Christ, Hatstall. Where did you come from!" James exclaimed. Elle picked up the scrap piece of parchment up from the floor where James had dropped it in his fright. James made a move as if he were going to snatch it from her, but her reflexes were too quick. She dodged him easily. Elle soon realized why he was so protective of this little paper. "This is a map. Of the whole school. And everyone in it." Elle said faintly, unsure if she could trust her eyes. James nodded. "Don't tell-" "Albus" Elle answered before he could finish. "Did your dad give you this too?" Elle asked, feeling the injustice for friend with an ache in her heart. "No! Well… sort of. It was my Dads, but he didn't give it to me. I stole it" James confessed. Elle raised an eyebrow at that but did not chastise. She wasn't feeling very sympathetic towards Harry Potter at the moment.
"Err.. anyways" James said, taking the map back from Elle and pocketing it. "I have a job to do tonight." "Is there a special passageway to the kitchens through the broom closets?" Elle asked innocently. She saw the blush creeping up James' cheeks as he self-consciously ran a hand over her mouth. Elle had meant it to be a joke, but since she hadn't understood the joke when it was told by the older boys, she wasn't sure it had landed correctly.
"Lester wants pumpkin pasties and cauldron cakes" Elle said, quickly changing the subject. "Right" said James, busying himself with preparing the platters, with the eager assistance of the house elves. James was about to leave, when Elle called out "wait!" James turned to her questioningly. "I scored that penalty shot by mistake. I almost fell off my broom I was so dizzy after that bat to the head. And one time, when I was seven, I hated my maths teacher so much that I think I accidentally set her hair on fire." James burst out laughing. "What was that about?" he asked. Elle smiled. "We're even now. You were two secrets up from me. I can't be in that kind of debt." James nodded, still chuckling. He wrapped his invisibility cloak over his platters and himself, disappearing instantly. "Night Hatstall" he said, before heading out the door.
Elle smiled to herself as she sat by the fire, sipping the last of her tea. A house elf she was fond of, Zella was sitting next to her and chatting about the upcoming holiday celebrations. "I've not got to work the feast this year, first time in my life I've been put on luggage duty" she squeaked, and Elle perked up. "Luggage duty?" she asked curiously. "Yes, miss Elle" she said, nodding her head and looking at her with serious blue eyes "the morning after the feast the house elves are the ones who take the luggage to the train for the students who go home." "Do you always handle the luggage?" Elle asked intensely, an idea forming in her head. "Oh yes. We're the only ones in charge of it. Except mister Goyle of course." "Goyle?" Elle asked sharply. "He checks the luggage for banned items. Dark arti-facts" the house elf said, pronouncing the words carefully.
Elle put down her mug with a clatter. "Thank you for the tea Zella" she said, standing up abruptly. "I really need to be off. Much to think about…"