Chapter Twenty-Three

Douglas Stephen

Douglas hurried down the back stairs, certain he was still going to get in trouble but not wanting to be in the middle of the initial fallout. He slipped quietly past the Service Room where he could hear some singing and fumbled to get his watch out to get an idea of who might be having service. He frowned when he saw the time; it was later than he thought. In fact, he belatedly realized that a fair number of students would be finishing their breakfast and were on their way to the library to study for tests on Monday.

There was only one easy solution... he hurried over the secret passage and slipped inside, trying to remember which was the right turn to get back to Slytherin. He also tried not to think of the fact that the ghost of Mrs. Norris had a tendency to wander inside that particular passage since it connected to the Caretaker's Room. Of course, that was a good reason for other students to avoid that end of the passage, he reasoned to himself. He went in the opposite direction of the library and turned the corner, nearly jumping out of his cloak when he saw something scarier than the ghost cat... Dawn Pyther. She had books in her hand and was walking next to Orion, who took a healthy step back the moment he saw it was Douglas.

"What are you doing here?" Dawn asked with a baffled expression.

"I had to return a book to the library, not that it's any of your damn business," Douglas snapped at her.

"I don't believe you. Why is your face so ruddy as if you're hot and bothered about something?" Dawn asked suspiciously.

"You're not worth my time. Get out of my way! You also don't have to take up the entire bloody passage between you. How come everyone in your family is so damn rude?" Douglas asked, and Orion put up a hand.

"Look, just because the two of you are in conflicting houses, doesn't mean..."

"Everything isn't about the stars! And move your horse's arse," Douglas snapped.

"Talk about being rude!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Why are you assuming I'm talking about the stars instead of about school houses?" Orion challenged him. "Just because my sister is into that sort of thing doesn't mean I am, whether I took classes in primary school or not. I don't judge you by what sort of classes you've had in the past."

"Don't rise to the occasion, Orion, it'll just make him more combative," Dawn warned.

"Look who's talking! I was simply trying to get to my house rooms. You're the one who decided to take issue with it, Matilda, not me!" Douglas snapped at her.

"He has a point," Orion admitted.

"Just who's side are you on, anyway?" Dawn asked Orion. "I tell you he was up to something! He's got that same look on his face as does when he trips me up in the corridors and gets away with it!"

"Are you sure you're not just being overly sensitive?" Orion cautioned her.

"Sensitive? She doesn't know what that word even means! She's as sensitive as a raging dragon!" Douglas snapped.

"Actually, you may have a point," Orion decided, thinking it over as if temporarily oblivious to the two seething students in front of him. "Most people have the preconception that dragons aren't sensitive based on their size and the perceived threat level they are under while confronting such a beast. However, dragons are actually more sensitive than one might believe. I think if anyone took the time to study them long enough, they would learn that they are actually very intelligent, empathetic creatures. It just goes to show that you really can't judge someone by the way that they look - hey, are you listening to me? Dawn, stop fiddling with your sleeve!"

"You're thinking of pulling a wand on me, aren't you? Do it and I'll break it," Douglas warned.

"Back off or I'll break your nose!" Dawn warned him.

"Stop it, both of you! This is no place for violence," Orion scolded them.

"I don't let first years tell me what to do, no matter what species they are," Douglas retorted.

"Stop including him when he has nothing to do with this!" Dawn snapped.

"Then he shouldn't try getting in our way!" Douglas shouted.

"You're right, it's not working. Go ahead and kill each other," Orion said resignedly.

"Hold it! Orion, do you mind taking your Animagus form so I can get through?" Danny Brittle yelled from where she stood behind the centaur.

"Sorry," he said, changing back to a human.

"Okay, just what are the two of you fighting about this time? Couldn't you have least picked a better location?" Danny asked in exasperation.

"She began harassing me the moment I stepped in here to go to my room," Douglas complained.

"Yes, because he's got that anxious look on his face like he's done something wrong!" Dawn reported firmly.

"Dawn, you just can't go accusing someone of doing something just because you don't like the look on their face. You're hardly a Truth Seeker," Danny scolded her, but Dawn was still eyeing Douglas with open dislike. "Orion, what can you tell me about this?"

"Only that they're telling to truth for the most part. Dawn did confront Douglas right after he stepped inside the passage, and he was quick to defend himself. Everyone in Ravenclaw knows the two of them don't get along and are in verbal disagreements anytime they're in the same corridor together. It's never been friendly," Orion replied.

"Then how about we avoid each other in the corridors and stop inviting discourse by talking to each other in the first place. Or are we suggesting that this is too small of a school to manage that? Dawn, you especially have other ways of getting around, so I don't want to hear the two of you 'bumping into one another' as an excuse for a fight. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Madame Brittle," Dawn said somberly.

"Good. Now how about apologizing to each other? Dawn? You first," Danny said.

"What? I'm not apologizing to him! I still think he was up to something!" Dawn snapped.

"She started this whole thing, so I certainly don't owe her an apology," Douglas replied.

Pretty soon the two of them were shouting at each other again, and Danny was forced to bring out her Quidditch whistle to break it up.

"Enough! Dawn, I'll be talking to your adviser about this, so don't be surprised if Boulderdash asks you into his office later. Douglas, I believe you know the way to my office," she added sternly. Sighing softly, Douglas worked his way past them and further down the passageway, cutting over to the Slytherin entrance and working his way over to her office from there.

It wasn't long before Danny caught up, opening the office door for him and then knocking once as she closed it to let everyone know she was with someone.

"I went down to Slytherin this morning to let you know that your brother Eben wanted to see if you and your cousin Broc wanted to go out of the castle with him this afternoon for some family guy time. He thought you might like time away from your sisters for a bit," Danny explained.

"I wouldn't mind that," Douglas admitted.

"But when I got there I couldn't find either of you, and when I asked your housemates, they didn't even know where your sisters were despite the fact that most of them were just starting to head to breakfast," Danny went on. "The security paintings told me that all of you had alarms set and had gotten up early for some reason. Anything I need to know about?"

Don't tell her anything, Zelda thought at him with such fierce agitation that Douglas could tell she was not having a good day.

"I did spend time with them for a little while today. We sometimes get together on Sundays," he said carefully.

"Why did you all get up so early for that?" Danny asked curiously. "Considering it's a weekend, you could have easily planned to get together for lunch or something. While I understand the need to arrange these get togethers to accommodate family or friends in other houses, I can see why Dawn was a bit suspicious..."

"She was out of line!" Douglas snapped.

"Way, way, out of line, I completely agree," Danny said, holding up hand in support. "Just what did you do to her to get her so against you?"

"She's made statements about everyone in my family, not just me," Douglas snapped.

"True... true, this isn't the first time she's stepped forward with accusations, regardless of whether she has evidence or not, but it's been you she's been fighting in the corridors all year. And the fighting hasn't been entirely one sided, has it?"

"No, but she started it! Ever since we were forced to sit with each other in Divination last year she's been offended by my presence, and I swear from some of the things she's accusing me of that she has some of the paintings around the castle spying on me," he complained.

"Well that's unethical... and a bit creepy. I'll make sure to look into that," Danny said seriously. "You can do your part by avoiding her the corridors."

"Gladly... if she stays out of the secret passages," Douglas replied.

"Once that unethical behavior pattern is corrected, I think it would be in both of your best interests to stop this constant feuding and simply apologize to one another. The two of you have a lot in common under the surface, and if you deflated those egos of yours for a genuine conversation instead of a word battle, I think you'd both realize it," Danny informed him. It was pretty obvious from his brooding expression that he wasn't convinced in the slightest. "You know, I have a friend named Doug, and you sometimes remind me of him. We didn't always get along either. I had a lot of family baggage that he didn't understand at the time, nor did his best friend Corey, who easily had an ego to match any of the other Snapes. They judged me for my father, my uncle, and my house, despite being friends, and it took a long time for those communication barriers that came between us to come down. But once they got to know me for who I was as a person, they became two of the best friends I ever had, along with Taylor, of course. They even saved my life," she added with a soft smile. "I think if you just let that ego slide along with that Maxen pride of yours, you could see that finding a way to be friends would be a lot more worth your while... and it'd keep you having to come into my office on a constant basis."

"I understand what you are trying to say, but you're forgetting that Dawn's ego is way worse than mine... on par with some of my sisters even," Douglas warned. Danny made a face.

"I wouldn't compare her to one of your sisters in a conversation, if I were you. That definitely wouldn't put you on the path to reconciliation," Danny advised, earning the first smile that Douglas had given her. "I know that Dawn has been the one who's been instigating things, but you're not entirely blameless for every altercation in the corridors, are you?"

"No," Douglas admitted.

"I will do the professor thing and make sure she's held accountable for what she's been doing that's out of line, but do your part in finding a way to come to an accord. And if you've done everything you can think of and still haven't found a way to end the war peacefully, come see me again. Until then, if she tries to start a fight, walk away, and I'll make sure you're not punished for her actions. Is that a deal?" Danny proposed.

"Yeah, I guess," Douglas said.

"Fine. I know you'll be good for your word," Danny said.

There was a knock on the door from their side, and Danny looked up thoughtfully.

"Professor Ravenclaw?" Danny asked, and Douglas stiffened.

"So sorry to interrupt your conference, but I have been having a conference of my own which affects many of your students... it concerns this one as well," Icarus said, squinting at Douglas as he materialized. "I caught this young wizard's sisters and cousins desecrating an altar in the Scribe's Quarters."

"What?" Danny exclaimed in confusion and surprise.

"All but the Hufflepuff Villin, who has yet to leave his house rooms this morning. I suspect that this young wizard was also involved," Icarus accused, squinting at him.

"Douglas has been my office for some time now because he and Dawn Pyther were having an altercation in the secret passageways before breakfast," Danyelle explained. "He was quite occupied, although I can tell you that I noticed their absences from the Slytherin rooms this morning. I came to Hogwarts early today to get some work done and to drop off a message that Eben wanted to take Douglas and Broc out of the castle for the day."

"Broc won't be going anywhere. He will be sitting detention with me," Ravenclaw said firmly. "Even though they wouldn't talk to me about what they were doing there, I'm of the opinion that they've got it into their heads to try to find Bedivere's Silver Box before Jeremy and his research team do. Did you give them permission for such a research project?"

"Of course I didn't," Danny said with an exasperated sigh.

"Perhaps Douglas knows something about it? He may have opted not to go, but I have a hard time believing that he knew nothing about this, especially considering his mental training," Ravenclaw said, squinting at him.

"Ick, Douglas just had to deal with a student accusing him of doing something wrong just by walking down a passageway. I think it's a bit much for a professor to come in here accusing him of something without just cause as well," Danny said firmly. "In fact, it was one of your students, Dawn Pyther, who started the fight in the secret passage. From what Douglas has told me, she's been going out of her way to stalk him to the point that I need to go up and speak to the Headmaster about it."

"Really? I'd like to sit in on that, as I'm sure Laura would as well," Ravenclaw replied with a frown.

"I also want to have a word about my Slytherin students once they're out of detention. But right now, I should escort Douglas to get ready to go out for the day and escort him to his brother."

"Very well! I must go back to supervising my students. Perhaps we can meet the Headmaster straight after lunch," Ravenclaw suggested.

"Fine, that'll give me time to actually get some game prep done," Danny replied. "Come on, Douglas, let's go back to Slytherin so you can get your coat and change if you want."

"Yes, Danny," Douglas said, gratefully following her out of the room and down the corridor. "I'm terribly sorry about all of the trouble you're dealing with today..."

"There, you see? Was that apology so hard?" Danny chided him. Douglas looked sheepish. "It's okay, it's my job. I knew what it'd be like when I took it, and my first few years were a lot harder. And those Don Coventry years... actually, I don't want to think about that. Right now is right now, and I need to appreciate it for what it is," she decided, sounding more like she was talking to herself than she was talking to him.

Douglas hurried to get his stuff, and the two of them walked through the corridors to the front. By the time they had gotten to the gate, Eben was leaning against it having a conversation with Boulderdash.

"Good morning, Boulderdash! Good morning, Eben! I hope you weren't waiting long," Danny said.

"Not all that long," Eben replied.

"I brought your brother, but I'm afraid Broc's been detained and can't come this morning," Danny said.

"It happens," Eben said unconcernedly. It was obvious from his lack of reaction that he had probably gotten a mental message about it already. "One is better than none! I need to do a quick errand in Hogsmeade before we head to London, Douglas."

"Okay by me," Douglas said. Eben waved to Boulderdash and Danny before holding out a key for Douglas to take.

It was only a second before Douglas felt his feet land in front of the alchemist's shop.

"Here we are. I promised Hope that I'd pick something up her father is sending her," Eben explained. "So you managed to dodge detention this time, did you?"

Douglas did a double-take at the quick change in subject.

"Looks that way," Douglas admitted sheepishly. "Partially, anyway."

"From what Moira told me, the rest of them are going to miss both the Spectral Ball and the first Hogsmeade trip for taking liberties and being in an area where students weren't supposed to be."

"It wasn't posted anywhere," Douglas protested.

"True, and I'm sure they're going to correct that. I have a feeling they're more in trouble for messing with the altar than looking around, since disturbing the dead is definitely against the rules," Eben said.

"I had nothing to do with that. In fact, I was against it from the start, and that's why I stayed back when they did it," Douglas explained.

"In that case, you probably don't have anything to be guilty about," Eben decided. "Come on, let's get this done."

"Alright," Douglas said, following Eben into the shop.

The store was empty when the two of them came in, and Corey was minding the counter.

"Hi. Eben! What did Hope break this time?" Corey asked.

"I'm just here because she asked me to pick up a package from you, though she didn't say what was in it. You're not smuggling these days, are you?" Eben taunted back.

"That depends. Is tea illegal?" Corey chuckled. "It's that herbal immune booster tea I make for the winter along with a batch of dried Fae Apples. We're experimenting with adding them together, since I've a theory that Fae Apples may still help with the aches and pains coming with aging."

"Oh. That's interesting, actually, but why would Hope need that?" Eben asked curiously as Corey put two small boxes out from under the counter.

"Have you ever tried to find the average age of Aurors these days? My kids are the only thing keeping that number down as low as it is," Corey pointed out.

"Fair point," Eben said with a chuckle.

"While you're at it, can you take a box to the house for me as well? This is the one for Hope, and this is the one needs dropped off on the kitchen table," Corey said.

"No problem," Eben said, taking a moment to put them in his cloak before heading out of the shop again with Douglas right behind. "I swear, being attached to that family is nothing but an endless stream of errand running," he declared as they turned towards Haven's Row.

"It's not like our family is any different," Douglas said.

"It's incredibly different," Eben informed him, giving a wave at the brick wall.

A moment later, Douglas did a double-take and stopped walking out of sheer surprise. The brick wall wasn't there anymore. Instead he saw a wizard standing behind the window of a small shop, who was smiling softly and waving back at his brother.

"Who is that? What is that?" Douglas said in amazement as the old wizard went back towards the counter. Eben paused and looked at his brother speculatively.

"Do you see the shop?" Eben asked, then stared at it as well. "Perhaps we ought to try going in, then."

"That's the Tinker Shop, isn't it? Zelda told me that something bad would happen if I ever saw it," Douglas said darkly.

"Did she now? What exactly does she think will happen?" Eben asked curiously.

"Everyone in our family who's seen this shop has disappeared, and she thinks if we see it, we'll disappear too," Douglas said grimly.

"I'm still here," Eben pointed out. Douglas pondered that.

"Oh yeah," Douglas said with a slight smile.

"Maybe Zelda is trying to justify why it's not a good thing because she doesn't like being excluded from it," Eben suggested.

"That does sound like something she would do," Douglas agreed.

"Well, come on! Let's see if we can get in since you can see it," Eben said.

Eagerly, Douglas followed Eben as he went over and opened the door, stepping inside and staring all around at the miscellaneous stuff packed on the shelves on both walls and in the long low shelf in the center of the room.

"Good morning, Mr. Toby! Welcome home," Eben greeted the man behind the counter.

"Thank you, it is very good to see you, Eben," Toby said with a smile. "And this is your brother Stephen, is it?"

"Douglas," Eben corrected.

"It's alright. I don't mind being called Stephen," Douglas admitted. "To be honest, I've always preferred it to Douglas, but the only other person who calls me by my middle name is a girl I don't get on with. Of course, that's mostly because I call her by her middle name just to annoy her." Toby chuckled softly at his admission. "Thank you for letting me in!"

"Oh, who gets in here isn't up to me, you know, it's you. Still, it's not all that surprising to me that you did manage to get in. I always knew there'd be one more," Toby told him with a smile. "Please, have a look around!"

Eben frowned, stepping over to the counter as his brother started scanning the shelves.

"Only one?" Eben asked quietly.

"Well the youngest two can't exactly get anywhere on their own, can they?" Toby replied in softly in return.

But despite Toby's addition, Eben couldn't help but be worried, wondering what was going to happen to his other siblings and if there was anything he could do to change their fate.

His brother's laughter interrupted Eben's thoughts. It was the first time that he had heard Douglas laugh since his mother died.

"How ironic! This shop really does have everything!" Douglas declared.

"I certainly don't have everything, especially not all at once," Toby protested. "Did you find something interesting on the bookshelf?"

"It's a history book about the Anarchy," Douglas explained.

"Oh, yes. Such a pointless war, really... it caused so many deaths and so much destruction in this country all because this country wasn't quite ready for a ruling queen yet. Stephen may have seized the throne and managed to gain support for doing so, but in the end, it was a very short-lived victory. With his only son dead, it was Matilda's son who succeeded the throne, beginning the reign of the Plantagenets," Toby summarized. "Fighting back and forth, gaining and losing advantage, imprisoning each other, costing countless lives including members of their own families. Of course, in a way all wars a bit pointless and silly... but there can be no doubt that some are more silly than others."

"Come now, Mr. Toby, while I agree with you in principle, you must admit there are times when wars are justified... there have been an awful lot of evil fascists bastards that need to be dealt with, for example," Eben protested. "Not to mention invasion forces without provocation."

"There are always justifications, Eben. Even the "evil fascists" have their own justifications for doing things," Mr. Toby pointed out. "The battle of good and evil, order and chaos, growth and destruction is an endless struggle... I only question the methods. On top of which, most battles waged on this planet aren't a matter of good and evil. Rather, they are caused by prejudgment, bloated egos, and miscommunication, coupled with an unwillingness to come to the table and work things out."

"There are also acts of desperation and survival, Mr. Toby, which I think doesn't fall in either of those lines," Eben protested. "Still, I know perfectly well that if we keep up this philosophical argument, it will go on all day, so I'm going to cut my losses because I know you always try to find a way to get the last word in."

"It's the Fae in me," Mr. Toby decided. It was then that Douglas noticed there was a slight point to the man's ears behind the tuft of white hair on his head. "Did you find what you were looking for, Stephen? You're only allowed to get one thing from my shop at a time, you know," he said when he noticed that Douglas had pulled out more than one book.

"Oh! Sorry," Douglas said, shuffling the books to cover up his staring and then put back all but one.

"And you, Eben?" Mr. Toby asked.

"I wasn't expecting to come in today. Maybe I'll get something during the school trip," Eben said.

"It sounds like I'm the only one going this time," Douglas warned.

"Which means your siblings and cousins are going to pile on the errands," Eben said. "You'll need backup to carry all of that. Besides, I already asked off because I promised Father that I'd attend, since he plans to go to the Spectral Ball to see you. I don't mind if it's just the two of us again."

"Alright," Douglas said with a shrug, putting the book up on the counter.

"Just pay what you think it's worth," Eben instructed, pointing at the jar. Douglas, who had already heard about this from his fellow classmates, had already been thinking about it before he had brought out his coins.

"Never thought I'd buy a history book of any kind. It's not my favorite subject," Douglas admitted to Toby.

"Perhaps it's not your cup of tea when it comes to entertainment, but it is history is an important subject because it teaches you about mistakes humanity has made in the past so that you can learn not to make the same mistakes yourself. And by learning to recognize certain patterns, you can even use it to predict future events," Toby explained.

"Now, how would you know?" Eben asked the tinker with a short laugh.

"Must you keep interrupting my monologues, Eben? If you do it again, you may not find this shop open the next time you come around," Toby threatened, furrowing his brows at Eben.

"I apologize," Eben said with a smile.

"Yes well, apology accepted, I suppose. I know that sincere apologies don't come easy... to anyone," Toby said, wrapping up the book for Douglas and handing it back to him.

"Thanks, Mr. Toby. See you next week!" Eben said.

"We shall see," Toby said mischievously as the two of them left.

As the two of them turned back down the street towards Haven's Row, Douglas couldn't help but comment.

"Man, that old wizard is weird!" Douglas declared.

"He's a bit eccentric, but in a good way," Eben said. "And now that he's let you in, I'll give you some advice: don't hesitate to go to him if you're ever in trouble."

"Oh, what could he do to help?" Douglas snorted.

"A lot," Eben said simply. "Come on, let's get these errands done."

Shrugging at that, Douglas followed him over to the Willowby house.