The Cat Who Was Rarely Amazed

The yacht flew over the Riff Mountains, and they saw a deep valley with a river running through it and on its banks a large city with walls, domes, minarets and a maze of narrow streets.

'This is Fez, the capital of Morocco for five centuries in ancient times,' Blaise said. 'It is the largest and oldest medieval city in the world, a center of culture, and still very lively.'

Justin looked at the city in awe.

'But the river in the city is tiny, and anyway, it's better to enter Fez through its magnificent gates, as I heard,' Blaise said.

'Alright,' Justin said. 'Then we'll stand on anchor outside the city walls and enter the city on foot.

The yacht descended and alighted on water. Then it glided towards the city. When they were sufficiently near to the city, Justin dropped anchor.

'Macavity, let's go!' Blaise said.

'Yaow!' said Macavity, a little slender gold-red tom cat with leopard spots, outsize ears, tasseled tail, long whiskers and enormous green eyes.

So they came ashore, Justin, Blaise, Macavity and Trevor, and went to the nearest city gate. It was a high gate with battlements, blue mosaics and three Arabic-style archways.

'This is the gate of Bab Boujeloud,' Blaise said. 'It was built only in 1913, but it's a jewel of Fez.'

A street with minarets and tall thin houses was seen in the middle, largest archway.

'They say Fez is a veritable maze, easy to get lost in, but fortunately, we've got Macavity,' Blaise said. 'He's got an excellent directional sense and won't let us go astray.'

'Good,' Justin said.

They passed through the archway and plunged into the streets between high ornate thin houses, some shop in every second of them, and palm trees tucked in all the corners.

'Macavity, memorize the way, 'cause I for one can't.' Justin smiled.

'Yaow!' Macavity said confidently.

They meandered along the streets of Fez with abandon, feeling slightly dumbfounded. The streets led them to a very large, beautiful mosque.

'This is the Kairouyine mosque,' Blaise said.

'Kairouyine? Sounds like the city in Tunisia where we were not so long ago, Kairouan,' Justin said.

'Yes.' Blaise smiled. 'The mosque was named after the city, either because a woman from Kairouan founded it, or because people from Kairouan lived around here. This mosque has been the center of Islamic learning in Morocco for more than 1000 years.'

'There are few schools that age,' Justin said significantly.

'Indeed.' Blaise smiled. 'Unfortunately, non-Muslims can't go inside, but we can look in.'

They looked. The interior was impressive.

'But the Attarin Madrasah is open to public,' Blaise said. 'Let's see it.'

And they went to see the Attarin Madrasah. It had a truly beautiful courtyard, with rows of ornate arches and columns in warm rose color and a cup-like fountain in the middle, all quiet and mysterious.

'The walls are in alabaster, marble and cedar wood,' Blaise said. 'The Attarin was built in the 14^th century.'

They went to wander through the streets of Fez more. Blaise showed to his friends the lovely Royal Palace, unfortunately closed to public. As they passed by a clothes shop with colorful Arab dresses, Justin said:

'I want to buy one of these dresses for my sister Lutea.'

'To visit a clothes shop in Fez is a unique experience.' Blaise nodded and smiled.

They went in. The shop had ornate carved walls and pillars and bright Arab dresses covering the walls to the ceiling. Justin was dazzled.

'How do they reach these ones under the ceiling?' Justin asked.

'With a pole.' Blaise explained.

Justin nodded and looked at the dresses. Some time later he pointed at a rose silk dress with short wide sleeves and fine embroidery in white and gold.

'I think I'll buy this one. Lutea shall like it, a sophisticated Ravenclaw that she is.'

Blaise nodded. Justin asked the shopkeeper:

'How much is that rose dress under the ceiling?'

The shopkeeper named a price. Justin haggled a bit and bought the dress for half the price. The shopkeeper wrapped the dress, and the four friends left the shop.

Blaise went to show his friends the ruined monuments to the Merinid kings outside the city walls, then they wandered a bit more and sat down to rest. Macavity sat down on the parcel with the dress. Something tinkled inside the parcel.

'Hey, there shouldn't be anything tinkling in it!' Justin said.

Blaise unwrapped the parcel.

'Hey, this isn't the dress I bought!' Justin said. 'This one is blue with silver embroidery!'

Blaise reached inside the dress and fished out a vial. It was labeled something in Arabic.

'Tincture of nux vomica?' Trevor said. 'But...'

'It isn't tincture of nux vomica,' Blaise said. 'It is the decoction of stavesacre. And why would someone label it nux vomica when it's stavesacre? Something's afoot here.'

Trevor nodded.

'I say we look into it carefully,' Blaise said. 'Oh, and I didn't know you can speak Arabic, Trev.'

'I wouldn't say I can speak Arabic,' Trevor said. 'I can read Arabic. I need it for my research.'

'Whatever,' Blaise said. 'Now then, we really need to find our dress, but we will investigate the matter of this vial too.'

Justin and Trevor nodded. Blaise slipped the vial into his pocket.

'Now, Macavity, lead us to all the shops we visited,' Blaise ordered.

Macavity gave a loud yaow and darted away. The three wizards followed him. They asked in all these shops for a person with a parcel like this. In one shop the shopkeeper witch said:

'I think it was Sid Rashid who lives in the Goldsmiths' Street. He had a parcel like this. Why?'

'I believe he mistook our parcel for his,' Blaise said. 'We want to exchange it.'

'All right, I'll tell you the way,' the witch said.

And she told them in great detail how to find this Rashid, so they found the place easily- a large house with a massive bronze door. Blaise knocked. When the doorkeeper asked, 'Who is it?' Blaise answered:

'We came about the parcel that Sid Rashid lost.'

'I'll tell him,' the doorkeeper said. After some time the door opened and the doorkeeper led them into a parlor with carpets on the walls and floor and a lot of cushions lying on the carpet. A handsome Arab was sitting on the cushions.

'Sit down, please. My name is Rashid. I was told you have my parcel?'

Blaise, Justin and Trevor sat down. Blaise said:

'Yes. My friend bought a dress for his sister, and then we sat down to rest and found this isn't our parcel, so we asked in all the shops we visited, and a kind lady in one of them said the parcel is probably yours, so we came here.'

'Thank you very much,' Rashid said. 'This rose dress doesn't suit my wife at all.'

'I hope it suits my sister,' Justin smiled and handed the parcel to Rashid.

'Yusuf, bring this gentleman's parcel,' Rashid ordered.

'Yes, sir,' the servant said, went out and returned with a parcel. Justin looked inside, saw the rose dress and bowed.

'Thank you very much, sir.'

'Not at all,' Rashid said. 'Yusuf, escort these gentlemen to the door.'

The servant saw them off. In the street, a safe distance from Sid Rashid's house, Blaise said:

'And now we'll go to some nice coffee-house and inquire about Sid Rashid and his spouse.'

'Hey, it rhymes!' Justin said.

Blaise smiled, and they went to seek a coffee-house.

'You see, why would he relabel the vial if not to poison someone?' Blaise said. 'Stavesacre is a very powerful poison, it has to be taken with great care, and nux vomica is less dangerous. But who does he want to poison? If his wife, why? You see, in the Islamic world it is very easy for a man to divorce. He only has to say 'I disown you' three times, and he's divorced. It's not like we're in Italy. This whole story is very mysterious.'

'To say the least,' Justin added.

They found a small coffee-house in the neighborhood, with cozy carpets and cushions and comfortable semi-darkness inside. Blaise ordered three coffees.

Some time later an old woman came in, speaking something about Sid Rashid.

'Justin, play up to me, will you?' Blaise whispered.

'Sure, Blay,' Justin said.

'Remedies, you say?' Blaise said loudly.

'Yes, what about them?' Justin said, catching the clue.

'Oh, I know a lot of remedies - rash, dropsy, indigestion, you name them, I have them,' Blaise said.

'I beg your pardon, sir, but did you say indigestion?' the old woman said. 'I'd like to know a remedy against indigestion. My lady has it.'

'And not dropsy or rash?' Blaise asked. 'I thought Sid Rashid's wife had one of them.'

'No, mashallah!' the old woman said. 'She has only indigestion.'

'They say that indigestion comes from anxiety,' Blaise said. 'Is your lady unhappy perhaps?'

'Oh, yes, sir, she's unhappy,' the old woman said. 'I think Sid Rashid doesn't love her at all.'

'Then why doesn't he just divorce her?' Blaise said. 'I know it's very easy.'

'You see, sir, the house and all the fortune is hers,' the old woman said. 'If he divorces her, he will lose all this.'

'I see,' Blaise said. 'Now, I'll tell you an old, reliable recipe.'

He told her the recipe very thoroughly.

'I'll remember it, thank you, sir,' the old woman said.

'And remember one more thing, will you?' Blaise said. 'Tell your lady that she must not drink any potion Sid Rashid gives to her.'

'I understand, sir,' the old woman said. 'Thank you very much.'

'You're welcome,' Blaise said. 'Now I have to leave. Justin, Trevor, Macavity, come on.'

They left the coffee-house, and Blaise started to inquire about the nearest Auror office. People told him the way, and he asked to see the Chief Auror. When let in, Blaise showed the Chief Auror the vial and told him what he learned.

'And if you doubt my knowledge of potions, ask my Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, he'll confirm I know something about the matter,' Blaise said.

Some time later Blaise knocked on the door of Rashid's house.

'Yes?' Yusuf asked.

'I found something I think dropped out of the parcel,' Blaise said.

After some time Yusuf opened the door. Blaise came in - and with him a whole party of Aurors. Rashid was arrested presently.

'You know, Rashid, I'm a Healer,' Blaise said. 'I found the vial in the parcel and instantly knew it for what it really was.'

Blaise smiled to the old maid who came in, having heard the noise:

'Did my potion help your lady?'

'Oh yes, sir, it did,' the old woman said.

'And now she'll have grounds for divorce, since he tried to kill her,' Blaise said. 'So she will be free.'