The Eagle and the Badger

Chapter Nine: Flattened

Word of the Lethe Effect quickly spread through the castle, but as so few students were affected, the sensation died down just as quickly. For a week or so, Lucia suffered from nightmares, but with help from Madam Pomfrey, they gradually faded until she was sleeping undisturbed.

She included a brief account of the incident in a letter to her mother, deciding she'd been silly to conceal so much about her life at Hogwarts. Perhaps if she shared more, her mother would do the same.

Nothing further happened to Sukie, and the first years relaxed and turned their attention to normal pursuits.

Glancing up at the Great Hall's enchanted ceiling, which featured masses of scudding grey clouds, Lucia was happy to be indoors, enjoying eggs and toast with her Ravenclaw friends.

The arrival of the morning post deflated her spirits a bit, as Dagmar brought only a short note from Astoria Malfoy saying that she was glad Lucia was all right, that she was visiting friends in Florence ("You wouldn't know them, dear"), and that she would write more soon.

"Is it bad news?" Ruth asked, noting her friend's slight frown as she folded the elegant piece of parchment and put it into her pocket.

"No, nothing like that." She smiled reassuringly and reached for another piece of toast.

Lucia didn't want to admit how much she envied her friends the long, newsy letters their parents sent them. Out of duty, she wrote every week but couldn't help wondering if her mother would notice if she didn't.

Breakfast over, she headed for the entrance hall, where a seething mass of older students clustered near the front door. Mike, who had followed her out of the Great Hall, made a face when she saw the excited crowd.

"I don't see why we can't go to Hogsmeade too," she grumbled. "We're not infants. My parents let me take the Underground alone all the time, and nothing bad's ever happened."

Lucia thought she would probably be impressed, if she had any idea what the Underground was. The name suggested something dark and dank, with who-knew-what creatures scuttling about in the shadows . . .

All the same, she had to agree with Mike. Why couldn't they go into the wizarding village? Her quills were in quite desperate shape and would never last the term.

She spotted Scorpius in the middle of a group that included - as always - Pucey, Harper, and Nott. She couldn't begrudge him his first trip into Hogsmeade, even if she wished she could go herself. True to his word, he'd paid a bit more attention to her since their talk. Perhaps he wouldn't mind buying her a few necessities in the village.

She walked over to the third year Slytherins, hoping Scorpius' unpleasant friends would take no notice of her. It was a vain hope, as Gordon Pucey's eyes lit up the moment she approached.

"There she is - the little girl who let herself get locked in a classroom," he crowed with a nasty smirk.

Lucia pressed her lips together in an effort not to snap back at him. He'd refrained from actually hexing her so far, but why take chances?

Scorpius, too, ignored Pucey's taunt.

"What is it, Lucia," he said, with no hint of warmth.

Harper and Nott glared at her stonily, while Pucey snorted in amusement. Lucia took no notice and looked her brother in the eye.

"I was wondering, could you pick up some quills and ink for me in the village? Here, I have the money."

She started to pull a small pouch from her pocket, but Scorpius stopped her.

"Never mind that," he mumbled. "We can settle up later. I'll get your things if I have time."

A line was now forming, and Scorpius joined it, turning his back on Lucia without another word.

Mike pulled a hideous face and stuck her tongue out at his back. "That was rude," she said, "even if your brother is kind of cute."

Lucia didn't know how to respond to that last part, so she pretended not to have heard. "I suppose he didn't want his friends to see him being nice to me."

Mike snorted. "You mean, it's against Slytherin rules to be kind to one's own sister? Sorry, Luce, but your brother's a prat and his mates are worse."

While Lucia couldn't quite bring herself to call Scorpius a prat, she did wish he'd make some new friends.

ooOoo

Loki flew through the window with a letter for Hugo, nearly knocking over a jug of milk as he landed with an ungraceful skid. Hugo gave him a bit of sausage and watched him fly away before unfolding the letter, written in his father's familiar scrawl.

Dear Son,

You were right; Rose told us about Quidditch tryouts in great detail. It was nice to hear from you, though, as always.

Will you believe me if I tell you, it doesn't matter to me at all whether you play Quidditch at school or not? You're not Rose nor any of your cousins, you're Hugo Arthur Weasley, my one and only son, and your own person.

I spent way too much time at your age comparing myself to other people, mainly your mum and your Uncle Harry, and that was a big mistake. Luckily, when it came time to choose a career, I found something that makes me happy, even though it probably wasn't what anyone else would have chosen for me.

Just choose for yourself, be yourself, and you'll be fine.

But I do agree with your mum, it's important to keep up with your schoolwork.

Love,

Dad

Quidditch tryouts seemed ages ago, and Hugo had already forgotten he'd written to explain his decision. He was definitely behind in his correspondence, since he hadn't told his parents about the Lethe Effect. His mum would definitely have some theories about that.

Hugo put away the letter, savoring the warm words. He wasn't a bit homesick, but that didn't keep him from looking forward to the Christmas holiday.

Even though they no longer feared for Sukie, the Hufflepuff first years had become used to traveling together to and from classes. By unspoken agreement, Hugo followed the rest to the Charms classroom, automatically keeping an eye out for any sign of danger.

When they entered, they found the room empty of tables and chairs, as it had been for the past two weeks. In their place were a pile of plump cushions and a stack of large blocks against one wall. By now, Professor Flitwick didn't have to tell them where to stand, though there was some playful jockeying for position among the Slytherin boys.

"All right, settle down," Professor Flitwick admonished them. When they were quiet, he continued.

"Up to this point, you have learned the basic skills necessary to Levitate a lightweight object, such as these cushions, and control its movements while it is in the air."

There were some nods, some giggles, and a few embarrassed smirks. Hugo winced, remembering how his cushion had risen just out of reach and stubbornly refused to budge another inch.

"Today, you will be practicing some of the more advanced control techniques described in Chapter Six of your textbook. You may choose to work with a cushion, or for extra credit, if you feel confident in your ability, you may try with one of those blocks."

He indicated the stack against the wall.

"Of course, you must exercise great care with those, as a mishap could cause real damage."

"So much for extra credit," Trevor muttered.

"To sum up," continued Flitwick, glaring at the source of the interruption, "your mark for today will depend on both the degree of challenge you set for yourself, and how well you execute your intention."

Hugo watched, impressed, as a Slytherin girl selected one of the heavy blocks, raised it nearly to the ceiling and directed it into all four corners in turn before letting the block settle to the floor as gently as a feather.

"Well done, Miss Perlman. Five points to Slytherin. Who thinks he or she can do better?"

Not a hand went up, and finally the Charms teacher had to resort to calling on students at random.

Robbie went next, earning applause from the Hufflepuffs and five points for his house when he lifted a block to waist height and got it to move ahead of him as he lowered and raised it, seemingly prepared to go on forever, until Professor Flitwick called a halt.

"Next time I need my trunk moved, I'll know who to ask," Trevor whispered.

Not to be outdone by her cousin, Sandy Murray Levitated her own block high overhead but had to scuttle away when she lost control and it crashed to the floor.

"Three points to Hufflepuff - two deducted for the loss of control and the - er - rubble. Reparo!"

Professor Flitwick waved his wand at the broken block, and the fragments flew together.

Hugo debated about whether to try to show off with a cushion, or to risk failing with a block. In the end, he picked the block but managed to raise it only to knee height. When he tried to direct it around the room, it simply spun in place, making everyone laugh except Hugo. No matter how he waved his wand, the thing refused to obey.

"Best reread Chapter Six, Mr. Weasley," the teacher said, retrieving the block as his student slunk back to his place against the wall, to Slytherin jeers.

"Easily amused, that lot," Trevor murmured. He chose a cushion, sailing around the room with the greatest of ease an flipping it several times.

Sukie Lawrence hung back until last and looked worried as she stepped out into the middle of the room, her cheeks pinker than usual. It was rather embarrassing, Hugo thought, to be the center of attention when you were trying to push your skills to their limit.

She chose a cushion and, looking both pleased and a little surprised, managed to Levitate it to shoulder height and guide it all the way to the farthest corner of the room. Unfortunately, it hovered there for a moment as though uncertain, then suddenly took off like a rocket straight back at Sukie, forcing her to hit the floor hard to avoid being smacked in the head.

The Hufflepuffs gasped in shock, then sat in stunned silence as Gabe Link rushed forward to help her up.

"Nice work!" crowed a burly Slytherin boy with hair like a stack of hay on his big round head. He stopped laughing quickly, however, when a scowling Professor Flitwick hurried over to him and snatched his wand away as the rest of the class gaped.

"That'll be ten points from Slytherin, Mr. Thicke, for interfering with Miss Lawrence. And the next person who gets clever will lose his or her wand for a week. Understood?"

The Charms professor sounded even more irascible than usual, and Hugo was sure no one else would dare try anything funny - not today, anyway. The question was, why had Thicke? Everyone knew Flitwick had eyes in the back of his head. And why pick on Sukie? Unless . . .

He had no time to pursue the thought, however, as everyone took another turn. Even without interference, controlling their objects proved difficult for quite a few of the first years, and Hugo wasn't the only one to come away with a mashed toe or a bump on the head.

On the way out, he happened to catch the eye of Sam Thicke, who smirked at him nastily.

"Such a pleasant fellow," said Trevor with a straight face. "Too bad he's not in Hufflepuff."

"Yeah, isn't it? You know, I don't want to hate Slytherins, really I don't. But sometimes they can be such - "

"Boors?" Trevor supplied. "Oafs? Prats? Gits?"

Hugo had stopped listening. Once again, Sukie had been the target of a classroom prank. On the face of it, the incidents seemed random, but were they?

The fact that two different people were involved left the question of who'd sent the note wide open. What in Merlin's name was going on?

ooOoo

"Up for chess before Herbology?" Mike asked hopefully as she and Lucia mounted the spiral staircase to their common room. She'd become quite adept at the wizarding game, though the antics of the chess pieces tended to distract her from planning her moves.

A fifth year was ahead of them and answered the eagle's question without hesitation, much to their relief. The two girls followed him into the common room and headed for their usual table.

"I'd love to play," said Lucia regretfully, "but I should answer my mother's letter."

Something in her voice drew a narrow look from Mike.

"You told Ruth it wasn't bad news, but it was, wasn't it?"

"No, really," Lucia insisted as they put down their things.. "It's just - I never know quite what to say."

Mike sat down and leaned back in the high-backed chair. "I'd think it'd be easy, so much seems to happen here. Though come to think of it, some of it's not fit for sensitive ears. Is your mother the nervous sort?"

Lucia shook her head. "Not really. I'm just not sure what would interest her; she seems a bit distracted these days. She did remind me to write my grandparents, though, and I'm stuck there, too."

She gave Mike a rueful little smile.

"Oooh - the Malfoy ones, I gather. Are they still angry with you for not being chosen for Slytherin?"

Mike goggled with melodramatic curiosity, making Lucia laugh.

"No, not angry exactly, they're just not as - flexible as they might be. Not nearly so flexible as your parents, for instance."

Mike grinned. "I suppose Mummy and Daddy are quite tolerant, but mostly, I think they're just relieved I haven't been sent down yet. Getting kicked out of schools was rather a habit of mine, you see."

Lucia knew the story of her friend's childhood antics, mostly related to uncontrolled bursts of magic. She took out one of her new quills and the ink pot Scorpius had brought her, along with a large bar of Honeydukes chocolate.

"Would you like some? It's really good."

Mike broke off a small chunk and returned the bar to Lucia.

"Thanks. Ummm - this is scrumptious. Did your mother send it to you?"

Lucia shook her head, pocketing the bar. "No, Scorpius brought it back from Hogsmeade for me."

Mike took a moment to swallow. "Perhaps I shall revise my opinion of your brother. That was quite civilized of him."

Lucia suppressed a smile. She suspected that Mike had just done a very good imitation of "Mummy".

"I need to get some stationery," she said, getting up. "I'll be right back."

As she crossed the common room, she spotted Claudia in her usual armchair by the window. She looked up briefly from whatever huge tome she was perusing - Lucia couldn't see the title - as Lucia passed her, then returned her attention to the book.

In her dormitory, Lucia opened her trunk and lifted aside piles of robes, underwear, and other belongings. She might have known the stationery would be at the very bottom. At last, she found it under some books and was just straightening up when a dry voice from behind her said, "Have you figured out yet who sent the note to that girl?"

Lucia whipped around to face Claudia, who peered at her vaguely through her thick lenses.

'Merlin! You scared me to death." ]

Why had her dorm mate snuck up on her like that? Gradually, her heart rate returned to normal.

"I told you, I have no idea," Lucia replied calmly. "Perhaps you have an idea, though?" Given that you're the one who Stunned her, she was tempted to add.

Claudia paid no attention but continued in her emotionless monotone.

"If your brother knows, do you think he'd tell you? You are family, after all."

Lucia was thoroughly sick of the girl's insinuations and responded shortly, "Yes. We are."

Just then Calypso, who'd been napping on Lucia's bed, lifted her silky head, glared at Claudia, and hissed softly. Lucia thought about reprimanding her but decided her familiar was only mirroring her own feelings.

"Look, Claudia, my brother has done nothing wrong. And if he did and I found out, I wouldn't cover up for him. Now, I need to write some letters."

She moved around the other girl and went to the door. Calypso yawned, stretched, and jumped gracefully off the bed to follow her.

As she returned to the common room with her stationery, she thought how much nicer it had been when Claudia barely spoke.

All the same, she couldn't help wondering how many people knew about Scorpius' low opinion of Muggles and Muggle-born magical folk, and how many of his housemates shared these views. More to the point, who would go so far as to act on them?

ooOoo

"You might want to space those seeds a bit more evenly, Mr. Weasley," advised Professor Longbottom, who was peering over Hugo's left shoulder.

Hugo started, and a dozen or so of the slippery little seeds dropped in a clump onto the absorbent paper that would be their growing medium until planting time at winter solstice.

As Hugo brushed the seeds apart and continued to dot the paper, paying careful attention to spacing, his teacher straightened up to address the class.

"Remember, damp aconite seeds release a toxin, so be sure to wash your hands carefully when you are finished."

"So, this is both boring and dangerous," grumbled Marco, who was working across from Hugo. "Perfect."

Hugo shrugged. His dorm mate, he'd learned over the past few weeks, found something to complain about in nearly every situation, and no one paid much attention to his griping any more.

Actually, handling the seeds wasn't really dangerous if you were careful, and Hugo rather enjoyed the process of methodically building layers of seed and damp paper. The seeds would be stored away to germinate for a few weeks, then frozen in preparation for planting.

It was fascinating, really, that something as potentially deadly as aconite, or wolfsbane, could be so beneficial as a potions ingredient if used with care. Watching one of these plants grow from seed to harvest was far more interesting than merely taking some dried ones from the ingredients cupboard.

Working deliberately, Hugo was one of the last to finish. He waited for Lily to finish washing her hands, then reached for the soap.

"So, how are you?" his cousin asked, reaching for a paper towel. "We haven't really talked since you got locked into that weird room. You and that Ravenclaw girl," she amended with a little smirk. "Sure you didn't do it on purpose?"

Hugo chose not to rise to the bait and dried his own hands. "Positive. Nothing against Lucia, but it wasn't the way I'd choose to spend time. Or" - an odd look crossed his face - "no time."

Lily gave him a quizzical look but let the subject drop and changed the subject. "Is Sukie all right?" she asked. "Everyone's heard about her - classroom adventures."

Hugo shrugged as the two cousins donned their cloaks and moved toward the greenhouse door. "She doesn't seem to be dwelling on what happened in class. Though I think Gabe Link's about ready to kill both Vector and Thicke."

Lily chuckled and pulled her hood over her head. "Protective, eh? Do you think he likes her?"

Hugo shook his head. "Why do people keep asking me that? Don't you think they're a bit young for that sort of thing?"

Lily giggled. "You'd be surprised."

She and Hugo started back toward the castle, trailing the rest of their classmates. Out of the corner of his eye, Hugo saw the gamekeeper emerge from his cottage, accompanied by the usual pack of rowdy mongrels. (It was hard to count them, as they were in constant motion.)

The dogs were on leashes, but at the sight of the first years they tore them out of the gamekeeper's hands and took off at top speed, barking and baying frantically.

"Jason, Media, Hermes, Helen, all of you, get back here!" yelled Professor Figg, waving his hands in a futile attempt to get the beasts' attention.

At the sight of the beasts bearing down on them, most of the girls fled shrieking toward the castle, followed closely by the boys. Marco, who was trailing, slowed to cast a nervous glance over his shoulder. That proved to be a mistake, because it slowed him down, allowing the animals to gain ground on him. With happy cries they hurtled themselves at the boy, who landed amid the wriggling pack, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Merlin!" gasped Lily, running toward the fallen Hufflepuff as Professor Figg finally caught up and tried to grab the dogs' leashes. It was hopeless, as the powerful animals kept wresting themselves free.

Why doesn't he just Stun them? Hugo wondered as he tackled a muscular black-and-tan canine.

He fully expected to be bitten, but as he and some of the boys managed to drag the dogs off Marco, it quickly became clear that the only thing they were attacking the terrified boy with was their long, red tongues.

"Geroff me!" Marco yelled, windmilling his arms frantically, before realizing he'd been freed. Then he scrambled to his feet, scrubbing wildly at his drool-covered face.

"All right there?" the gamekeeper inquired as he struggled to hold onto a couple of the wriggling, barking beasts, which were apparently desperate to have another go at their new toy.

Hugo was having an awful time trying to maintain his grip on the thick leather collar of Hermles, or Helen, or whichever it was.

"Can't you do some sort of spell to calm them down?" he demanded.

Professor Figg looked startled. "Oh, er, yes, of course."

Unfortunately, in order to get to his wand, he had to let go of one of the dogs, which immediately bounded toward Marco, who was running as fast as he could toward the castle. The dog was faster.

Hugo had had enough. He took out his own wand and pointed it at the loose cur. He wasn't at all sure a Jelly-Legs Jinx would work on a dog, but the animal took a tumble as its legs collapsed under it.

Hugo's classmates got the idea, and in a moment all four dogs lay squirming and whimpering on the ground.

"Thanks for your help," Lily shot sarcastically over her shoulder as the remaining Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs hurried back to the castle.

"And he's the Creature Teacher?" she said to Hugo. "He couldn't handle a bowtruckle."

ooOoo

In twos and threes, the Ravenclaws filtered back into their common room after their own Herbology class, rosy and windblown from the chilly October weather. Mike was teaching Lucia, Ruth and Amanda to play Texas Holdem, which was quite a lot of fun despite the rather boring cards. What good was a one-eyed jack that couldn't wink at you?

Not till the game ended, with Mike sweeping up an impressive pile of Knuts, did Lucia notice Claudia sitting in a far corner with the older boy who seemed to be her only companion. What could the two of them possibly have in common?

"Who do you suppose that boy is?" she asked her friends as Ruth shuffled the cards.

The other three looked to see whom she meant.

"Oh, that's Stephen Mullen," Amanda piped up at once. "He's a sixth year; some sort of genius, Pamela says, especially in Arithmancy."

Ruth giggled. "Maybe they talk in numbers or something."

"As long as she doesn't talk to me," Lucia muttered darkly as she cut the cards.

Mike groaned. "Oh, rats! I left my Herbology book in the greenhouse. I'll have to go and get it."

"You can share mine," Ruth offered. "Our essay's not due till Monday."

Mike shook her head. "Thanks, but I'd better go. I'll just get my cloak."

She went off toward the dormitory while the other girls began a game of Exploding Snaps. Poker was a little iffy without Mike to keep reminding them of the rules.

Mike didn't return, and the common room began to empty as students went down to dinner.

"We'd better go," Ruth said. "We don't want to miss dinner."

Amanda snorted. "We have plenty of time, worrywart," but she followed the other two as they made their way down the winding staircase.

Lucia and Ruth saved a place between them as platters laden with food appeared in front of them. Claudia was sitting in her usual place at the end of the table, with a book in front of her.

Still no Mike. Lucia began to worry as the minutes ticked by. It was dark now, and the Great Hall's enchanted ceiling showed no moon, but surely Mike couldn't be lost? The castle's lighted windows were a beacon that could be seen for miles (by wizard eyes, at least) . . .

She pushed her peas around her plate and noticed that Ruth, too, seemed to have lost interest in her meal.

"You don't think something's happened to her, do you?" She sounded as anxious as Lucia was beginning to feel.

"Of course not," Lucia insisted in what she hoped was a bracing tone. "She'll be here any moment."

At long last Mike did appear, sinking into her place without a word. Her face was drained of all color, her scattering of freckles standing out sharply against the pale skin.

"What is it?" Lucia asked in alarm. "What's happened?"

"Nothing," Mike muttered so that no one around them could hear. "I'll tell you later, all right?"

She reached for a platter of chicken, but she seemed to lose her taste for it after a couple of bites. She rose to leave without waiting for pudding, and Lucia got up as well, motioning for Ruth and Amanda to stay.

"Let me handle this," she whispered, and though Ruth looked distressed, neither of the girls argued.

Lucia struggled to keep up with Mike's long-legged stride. When they reached the middle of the empty entrance hall, Mike stopped and removed something from the pocket of her cloak.

"It's this," she said, holding out a folded piece of parchment. "Have a look."

With trembling fingers, Lucia took the parchment and unfolded it. The message was short and to the point.

Mudblood,

You don't belong here. In fact, you don't deserve to live.

Below these words was a snake, draw vertically with its head at the top, its body forming a sinuous S curve. The snake's forked tongue seemed to mock Lucia as she stared in stricken silence at the ugly words.