The Eagle and the Badger

Chapter 20: The Morning After

"Any news?" Lucia sounded a bit out of breath, as she'd had to run to catch up with the other first year Ravenclaws, now milling about anxiously outside the hospital wing.

Ruth shook her head, looking close to tears. "Not yet. Oh, I do hope David will be all right!"

Mike gave her friend a one-armed hug. "Of course he will be." Despite the reassuring words, her eyes were clouded with anxiety

Lucia looked around at the crowd, which seemed to include half the school. The faces of many were pale with shock and worry; some of the girls huddled together, weeping softly. Most of them spoke in whispers, if they spoke at all.

"Of course, bloody Claudia didn't bother to come," Mike muttered. "Any guesses as to what she's doing?"

"She's in that bloody chair with her nose in one of those bloody books!" Ruth burst out, then gasped and clapped her hand over her mouth as heads turned and some boys guffawed.

The laughter died quickly, however. Some of the boys began to pace back in forth, never getting too far from the closed door to the hospital wing.

After what seemed like an eternity, the door swung open and Madam Pomfrey emerged, her normally immaculate apron wrinkled and stained, her face pale and drawn. Before she could utter a word, students began shouting out questions, though they quieted at once when the Hogwarts matron held up her hand for silence.

"I'm sure you all wis to know how your friends are faring," she said, not unkindly. "I cannot tell you much, save that they have been poisoned and are being treated accordingly."

"What sort of poison was it?" shouted someone in the back, prompting another barrage of questions. Madam Pomfrey shook her head and waited until the hubbub died down before going on.

"Some of the students were more seriously affected than others." A shadow crossed the matron's face as she spoke the words. Lucia and her friends exchanged nervous glances; surely Madam Pomfrey didn't mean . . .

"I cannot discuss individual cases with you, nor can any of my patients have visitors as yet - except for immediate family, of course."

Lucia thoughts of the anxious parents who would soon be arriving at Hogwarts. They'd be Muggles, of course; how could they possibly comprehend what had happened to their children?

"In the interests of forestalling rumors, I shall post a list of the hospitalized students, sorted by house, on condition that those of you who wish to view it form an orderly queue. No shoving or unseemly outbursts."

The Hogwarts matron surveyed the crowd with a stern expression, then turned and affixed a dismayingly long piece of parchment to the door with a wave of her wand.

Turning back, she said, "If there is any disturbance - any at all - I shall send you all away. As soon as you have seen the list, you are to return to your common rooms without delay to await further instructions. Morning classes have been cancelled."

With that, Madam Pomfrey disappeared inside the hospital wing.

The moment she had gone, the crowd surged forward, everyone jostling for position.

The line began to inch forward. As she got closer to the front, Lucia felt torn between curiosity and dread. The line was taking ages; did she really need to know who besides David was on the list? Curiosity won out, and at last it was her turn. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and began to read. David's name was there, of course, along with those of half a dozen other Ravenclaws, even more Hufflepuffs, and a handful of Slytherins. To Lucia's astonishment, one of them was Sam Thicke. She'd assumed he was a pureblood; so much for assumptions.

Obviously, she and Hugo could cross the annoying boy off their list of suspects. And since every house had its victims, that meant the poisoner was willing to attack his own housemates. Despite Slytherins' reputation, the poisoner was no more likely to belong to that house than any other. A knot of tension she'd been feeling since breakfast dissolved.

To her surprise, only three Gryffindors were on the list. That puzzled her until she remembered that Hugo had told Professor Longbottom about the earlier threats, not to mention all those cousins. If only . . . but it was too late to think about that now.

On the way back to Ravenclaw tower, Lucia noticed that the corridors were nearly empty except for staff member and people in an official-looking uniforms. The absence of ordinary bustle gave the old castle an eerie feeling.

The Ravenclaw first years headed toward their common room in a tight-knit group, as though there were safety in numbers. Perhaps there was, Lucia thought. It was slow going, as they had to stop several times for questioning. By the time they mounted the last set of stairs, Lucia was mad with impatience to reach the refuge of the common room.

ooOoo

The cheerful yellows of the Hufflepuff common room seemed to mock at Hugo as he settled into an armchair among the other first years. Part of him wished he'd gone with Lucia and her friends to see about David, but in the end he'd elected to follow his housemates. He knew some Hufflepuffs were among the victims, but at least Sukie and Gabe were safe. They'd find out about the others soon enough.

He looked around, unconsciously trying to figure out who was missing. He'd seen Simon Foote being supported by two of his mates as they took him off to the hospital wing. In all the confusion, he couldn't be sure how many other Hufflepuffs had fallen into the poisoner's trap.

And why in Merlin's name had he wasted so much time before telling a teacher about the notes? Why hadn't he notified the prefects, or his own head of house, right away? He should have seen the attack coming.

Some of the Muggle-borns were in real danger now on account of his stupidity. If Sukie and Gabe were safe, it was because they'd more or less expected someone to go after them. Most of the Muggle-borns had been sitting ducks.

Malcolm Chalmers also sat with his mates, his face impassive. No doubt he'd been as suspicious of the anonymous note with its deadly treat at Gabe and Sukie were. Hugo wondered what he was feeling as he sat there.

The common room seemed eerily quiet, as students huddled together, speaking in low tones. Hugo had no sooner put his bag down and flopped into a chair than he began to feel restless and out of sorts. The free morning off offered a chance to catch up with Transfiguration homework, but the thought of studying held little appeal.

"I suppose next the killer'll be coming after half-bloods like me," Marco suddenly piped up.

"Oh, shut up, won't you? Not everything is about you," Susan Pho snapped, causing jaws to drop. She was normally as gentle as a Puffskein and placid as a pond in summer. Then again, Valentine's Day breakfast had been more than enough to unsettle even serene Susan.

Sarah Soloway was up and pacing, as she often did when perturbed or trying to think out a difficult problem. "I wonder, how long are we going to be cooped up in here? Isn't somebody going to tell us what's going on?"

No one answered what was clearly a rhetorical question. Robbie, who had a book open on his knees, looked up.

"We'll just have to be patient," he said, as though speaking to a child begging for a sweet. "Since classes are cancelled, I think the best plan is to catch up on homework and put everything else out of our minds." With that, he returned to his reading.

"Good luck with that," Trevor muttered to Hugo. "Who could concentrate on schoolwork at a time like this? Though perhaps a game of chess . . . "

He looked hopefully at Hugo, who shook his head. Chess required even more concentration than studying, in his opinion. He cast another glance around the room and was surprised to see a dozen or so pieces of folded parchment flapping through the air like ivory-colored birds. One of them landed gently in Sukie's lap and another in Gabe's.

The two looked at each other, confused, and there was a pause before Gabe picked up his parchment with a frown and unfolded it gingerly, as though it might explode. Sukie hesitated, her face drained of color, before finally reading her own note.

"What is it?" Hugo asked. "Not more . . . surely . . ." he trailed off, not wanting to say the words.

Sukie looked up with a little smile of understanding. "Don't worry, Hugo, it's nothing like that. It's just an invitation to a meeting." The color had returned to her cheeks.

"What sort of meeting?" Hugo asked. "Why didn't we - " But of course, he knew why. It must be only for the Muggle-borns.

Gabe got to his feet. "Suppose we'll find out," he said shortly, then strode off to join a small knot of students gathered around Professor Witherspoon. With a glance backward, Sukie followed.

To look at their head of house, Hugo thought with a touch of bitterness, you'd never know anything bad had happened that morning - or ever. He was smiling like Father Christmas about to hand out gifts as he seated himself in a squashy armchair at the center of the group.

"What's up with that?" Trevor gave voice to Hugo's thought.

Hugo shrugged. "No idea. I just wish someone would tell us what's going on."

He glanced at his watch, surprised to see that less than a half hour had passed since the ill-fated Valentine breakfast. In just moments, Hogwarts had been turned upside down and shaken like the snow globe his mum had given him for Christmas when he was a kid.

Not that life at the wizarding school was always predictable or even safe, but this - this was different. Nothing like what his parents or Lily's had gone through, of course, but still . . .

Hugo shifted restlessly in his chair. Perhaps studying would help get his mind off things. He opened his school bag and took out the first book his fingers touched, which turned out to be his Potions textbook. He winced at the irony. Then again, maybe there'd be a clue in the book as to what the poison was. In fact, the symptoms he'd observed among his schoolmates did seem familiar somehow.

With a sigh, he settled down to flip through the pages. However, his mind kept wandering. After a few minutes, he got to his feet and without really thinking about what he was doing, made for the door.

"Hugo, where are you going?" Robbie called after him. "You can't just - leave. They said we have to stay here until further notice."

Hugo stopped and turned to face his classmate. "That's not how I heard it," he argued. "Waiting is one thing, but are they really going to hold us prisoner?"

He realized he was exaggerating, but if he had to sit there all morning, he'd be barking before lunchtime.

Asking permission wasn't an option, as Professor Witherspoon He was occupied with the Muggle-borns. Of the prefects, one was in the hospital wing and the other, Lynette Bagley, was among those surroiunding their head of house. Hugo wondered briefly if she was Muggle-born herself or simply there in her official capacity.

Ignoring Robbie's warnings, he marched across the common room and slipped out.

A stranger was standing across from the Hufflepuff entrance, a ramrod-straight figure wearing the familiar dark-blue uniform of Magical Law Enforcement. The man had a tightly cropped head of grey hair and, incongruously, a pair of wire-rimmed spectacles much like Grandpa Weasley's. The eyes behind the glasses, however, fixed Hugo with a steely glare.

"Just where do you think you are going, young man?" the man demanded.

Hugo hesitated. Where did he want to go, anyway? The first place that crossed his mind was the empty classroom where he and Lucia had so often met to chew things over. It would an oasis, a place to escape from the worry and confusion of the day.

"I thought I'd just - " Hugo began, then stopped short, inwardly squirming under the officer's steady scrutiny. Without a real excuse to go there, he was pretty sure the empty classroom was out. He took a breath and started over.

"Erm - the library, sir." Not even law enforcement could object to that, surely.

A pale eyebrow rose.

"Is that so? I must say you seem a bit - unprepared."

Hugo stared at the man, confused, until he realized he'd left his book bag behind. What an idiot he was!

Not wanting to go back and have to fend off Robbie again, he improvised. "Erm, you see, sir, I'm going there to - check out - some books."

"I see." A long pause ensued while Hugo resisted the urge to shift from one foot to the other. At last, however, the MLE officer apparently decided the boy was harmless, for he removed a small flat disc from his pocket, along with his wand.

"An hour's enough," he declared, then waved his wand over the disc, muttering some sort of incantation. The disc glowed briefly, then faded back to its original dull grey. The sentry handed the disc to Hugo. He half-expected it to feel warm to the touch, but it was cool as a newt's eyeball.

"This token contains your destinations - library and back - and your allotted time. Overstay the hour or deviate from the shortest route, and an alarm will sound. You don't want to know what happens then."

"But how - " Hugo started to ask then thought better of it. Thrusting the disc into his pocket, he turned and walked off at a good clip. The library wasn't exactly what he'd had in mind as an escape, but it would have to do. It was good just to be out.

From somewhere far off, Hugo could hear the faint clanging of what sounded like a bell. That was odd; Hogwarts didn't use bells to signal the start of classes. Besides, there weren't any classes this morning . . .

It dawned on Hugo that the clanging might be be coming from a disc like his, and he took the stairs two at a time.

ooOoo

Lucia shifted in her chair in an attempt to relieve the ache between her shoulder blades. This chair was usually so comfortable; why did it suddenly seem to be attacking her?8='em

Looking around the common room, she could see she wasn't the only Ravenclaw feeling tense. Mike's jaw was clenched as she pretended to read her Charms textbook. Amanda kept jumping up from her chair to stride to the window, then return to plop down on the sofa once more.

"When in Merlin's name are they going to tell us something?" she complained, her brow furrowed with annoyance.

It was a rhetorical question, of course. Lucia knew it must be hard for Amanda, of all people, not to have any juicy tidbits to share. Pamela, her usual source, was off somewhere - helping to patrol the castle, Lucia guessed.

"No use asking," Mickey Robb pointed out unnecessarily. "I do wish that bloody Pomfrey had at least told us whether David is going to be all right." He ran his fingers impatiently through his curls, then gave them a tug as though taking out his frustration on his hair.

For a change, all the Ravenclaw first years were seated in a tight cluster, any thought of homework or games abandoned as they waited for someone to give them some news, or even just tell them what they were supposed to do next. Classes would have been a welcome distraction.

Lucia glanced at her watch. To her surprise, only half an hour had passed since they left the hospital wing. It was far too early for lunch. Thinking of their ruined breakfast, she couldn't imagine feeling hungry, anyway.

She took out her Transfiguration book and made an honest effort to find something - anything - in its pages to keep her mind from returning over and over again to the scene in the Great Hall. After twenty minutes, however, she gave it up as a bad job.

With a sigh, she looked around the common room once more. Of all the first years, only Claudia seemed unfazed by the morning's horrifying turn. True to Ruth's prediction, she was sitting in her favorite chair, turning the pages of a large, ancient-looking tome

.077777that Lucia recognized as one of her dorm mate's favorites.

What on earth could be so riveting, under the circumstances? Lucia briefly considered just getting up and asking her but quickly thought better of it. Claudia would just say something snarky.

The word had been new to Lucia when she entered Hogwarts, and she'd never used it herself, but it seemed to fit in this case.

A sudden, incongruous thought struck her, one that nearly caused her to break into giggles. Suppose it wasn't Arithmancy that her taciturn dorm mate was forever studying? What if the ancient-looking volume actually contained something like - like fairy tales?

Lucia choked back her laughter, then sobered up with a sigh. If only life were a fairy tale some hero would sweep (or fly) in to save all the innocent Muggle-borns from the evil being who wanted to do them harm.

She fixed her eyes on the Ravenclaw entrance as though a princely savior might actually stride through it. No such luck, of course, although a fourth year she recognized was going out . . . It struck her that if Merton could leave, perhaps she could, too.

She looked around, thinking she could ask Professor Flitwick or one of the prefects for permission - if permission was even necessary. Madam Pomfrey has just said to wait, no that they couldn't leave. Neither their head of house nor the prefects was anywhere in sight, so Lucia waited until everyone's attention was elsewhere - she didn't really want company - picked up her bag, and made for the door.

She emerged onto the landing with a sense of relief, which was short-lived, as a tall figure materialized out of the shadows.

"Just where do you think you're going?"

The voice belonged to Mohan Jain, who stood looking down at her disdainfully from his considerable height.

"Erm - " Lucia struggled to regain her composure. "I was just thinking I'd go - er - to the library - Mr. Jain."

She tried a little smile, which failed to soften either the prefect's frown or his rigid posture.

He'd make a perfect fireplace poker, Lucia thought with a touch of resentment. All she wanted to do was . . . what, exactly? She stood tongue-tied, trying to think. After a moment, she had it. It would be wonderful to sit in the empty classroom, away from all the whispering and the worried faces. It was a place to think things through without being expected to converse, unless of course Hugo might have had the same idea. She sighed inwardly, knowing how unlikely that was.

She looked up to see Jain's dark eyes boring into her. Refusing to be intimidated, she stiffened her own spine.

"I saw others leaving," she said briskly, "so I assumed it would be all right for me to."

This didn't answer the prefect's question, of course, but it bought her a little time.

As if on cue, an older girl emerged from the common room, forcing Lucia to step aside and wait while Jain asked her destination (the Owlery), then removed a small round disc from his pocket and waved his wand over it, explaining the rules as the MLE officer had. The girl scrutinized her improvised hall pass for a moment before disappearing down the stairs.

Lucia dearly wished to ask how the magic worked, but she was pretty sure Jain wouldn't share his knowledge with a mere first year. Instead, she said, "I'd like to go to the library, please."

"Library," Jain repeated after a pause in which Lucia had to control the urge to fidget. "Library passes are for one hour. Use the most direct route, and don't stray, or - "

"I know," Lucia sighed. "There'll be consequences." She didn't mean to be rude, but she was impatient to be on her way. She hadn't given Jain a chance to say what would happen if she disobeyed the rules, but she wasn't anxious to find out.

ooOoo

"Pass, please."

With a touch of resentment, Hugo stopped in his tracks and presented his disc to one of the Slytherin prefects, the third person to stop him so far. At this rate, time would run out before he ever got to the library.

He picked up his pace, avoiding eye contact with anyone who looked official. He passed a woman in the black tunic and trousers of the Auror Department, a few more MLE officers, and several of his teachers, as well a a handful of students. Most of these seemed to be headed in the same direction as he was; he guessed that the library was on a short list of approved destinations.

Thus he was not surprised to find the library quite crowded, so much so that he searched in vain for an empty seat. It didn't really matter, as he'd failed to bring along books or anything to write with. What was he going to do for an hour, twiddle his thumbs? Maybe he should just go back . . .

The library's full of books, you moron, he reminded himself.

With no particular sort of book in mind, he wandered through the stacks for a while, now and then stopping to remove a volume at random, flip through its pages and return it to its place (something that Madam Loftus absolutely, positively forbade students to do). Half expecting her to pounce, he quickly moved on.

Rounding a corner at the end of the Wizading Society section, he caught sight of a familiar silver-blonde head halfway down the next row. Just seeing Lucia lifted his spirits a bit; that's what he'd been missing, someone he could really talk to . . .

You can't talk here, remember? chided that inner voice. Hugo ignored it and hastened toward where his Ravenclaw friend was standing, a disappointed look on her face.

"Hi, Luce," he whispered. "Something wrong?"

"Not really," she whispered back. "It's just - we can't talk here, Hugo."

Lucia's whisper was so faint that Hugo was forced to read her lips. She looked back over her shoulder as though expecting Madam Loftus to pop round the corner and say "boo".

After a moment's hesitation, Lucia tugged at Hugo's sleeve. He let her pull him along until they reached a dark corner, blocked from view by a large square table full of older girls. None of them noticed Hugo and Lucia as they sat down on the floor.

Lucia's purpose became clear in a moment, as she scribbled something on a piece of parchment and handed it to Hugo. It seemed an excess of caution, but Hugo began to read, squinting to make out the words in the dim light.

I asked Madam Loftus how someone would know which students are Muggle-born. She said the library has a book called Magical Families of Britain. It's enchanted to update itself, like when children are born. If a name's not there . . .

She broke off, trusting Hugo to draw his own conclusions.

Hugo's eyebrows rose as he read this. A book - why hadn't he thought of that? As he was quill-less, he gestured for Lucia to hand over hers so he could scribble a reply beneath her neat script.

Well done. Who checked it out last?

He didn't think he needed to add that it was probably the poisoner. He felt a surge of excitement, which ebbed quickly when Lucia shook her head before adding a note: The book's not here, but Madame Loftus said it hadn't been checked out since 1938.

Hugo sat back with a thoughtful frown. Though he was finding this method of communication rather tedious, it was better than nothing. After a moment he took the quill and parchment again.

So someone stole it? Maybe - he thought a moment before going on - he'll bring it back and Madam Loftus will tell us who it was.

The absurdity of that struck him even before he handed over the parchment. First, whoever had the book was clever enough to get around the anti-theft spells on it. Second, if it was the Muggle-hater who had the book and not just some random git, he would either dispose of it elsewhere or be able to sneak it back in.

He added this discouraging observation to the parchment and sat back while Lucia read it. He felt deflated; Magical Families of Britain was yet another dead end. It would help if he could actually talk to Lucia . . .

He was startled when Lucia scrambled to her feet and began stuffing the parchment, quill, and ink into her bag. Just as it dawned on Hugo that of course, she'd have a time limit, too, he became aware of a faint buzzing emanating from his pocket.

Rats! It was the beastly alarm starting to go off. He was on his feet in an instant, desperate to be gone before the noise could attract attention. Without stopping to say goodbye, Hugo dashed out of the library, right into the arms of Professor Fuller, who staggered backwards, nearly tripping over her robes.

"Oof!" she gasped, making a grab for Hugo's shoulders as she struggled to keep her footing. "Steady as you go, Weasley!"

"S-sorry," he stammered. To his horror, the low buzzing in his pocket had changed to a steady, all-too-audible clang.

Professor Fuller eyed him narrowly. "It seems you've overstayed your time, Weasley."

No kidding, Hugo thought. He desperately wanted to make a dash for his common room, but the Transfiguration teacher was still grasping his shoulders. He opened his mouth to beg the professor to let him go just as the disc's clamor rose from loud to deafening.

Hugo clapped his hands over his ears, too pained and frightened to notice two girls leave the library, flinch, then scurry away like frightened mice.

Professor Fuller began to shake him. Here it comes, Hugo thought, not caring what the teacher did to him if only she'd make the bloody racket stop.

She mouthed some words he couldn't hear, then gestured toward his pocket. After a moment, he got the point and dug frantically for the disc, which was now not only clanging but vibrating so wildly that he could scarcely hold it. Somehow he managed to hand it over without dropping it.

To his great relief, Professor Fuller waved her wand over the enchanted disc, which ceased clanging at once. His ears still ringing, Hugo thanked the teacher with a great deal of fervor, then fell silent, waiting to hear whether he'd be getting detention or something worse.

To his surprise, Professor Fuller merely waved her wand over the disc once more.

"Five points from Hufflepuff and minutes to get back to your common room" was all she said. "Now, get going."

Hugo hastened away, grateful for the reprieve. Only later did he realize that it might not be kindness that made Professor Fuller so lenient. With a potential killer on the loose, she was too busy trying to keep her students safe to care about a minor offense like being late.

As he hurried away, Hugo spotted Jack Sutphen rushing down the corridor ahead of him. As the Slytherin paused for a second to consult his watch, Hugo couldn't help hoping he'd be late, too, and face something really dire int he way of punishment.

As anxious as he'd been to escape, all Hugo could think of as he gave the password ("blood orange") was getting back to his friends. Looking at the painting made him aware that he was getting very hungry. With all the chaos at breakfast, he'd left most of his meal uneaten.

Perhaps at lunch, the headmistress would announce that all the poisoned students were being released from the hospital wing, and that their attacker had been caught.

Even as he formed the thought, he knew it was a vain hope.

ooOoo

Lucia watched Hugo leave, hoping he'd make it back without getting into trouble. She glanced at her own watch and was shocked to see that she had only eight minutes to get all the way up to Ravenclaw tower. She hadn't accomplished much, and she wished she'd been able to tell Hugo the rest of what she'd found out from Madam Loftus.

The Muggle-hater could probably have come up with a list of Muggle-born students currently at Hogwarts by plowing through Magical Families of Britain for names and dates, but he wouldn't have had to. The Daily Prophet published a yearly list of all students entering Hogwarts. It would be easy enough to check each name against the reference book, and less tedious.

How any of this was going to help catch the poisoner, Lucia had no idea. It scarcely mattered, now that the Aurors and MLE were on the job. Soon everyone could go back to thinking about normal things like classes and friends and Quidditch.

Unconsciously, Lucia slowed down as another thought struck her. Magical Families of Britain would contain information about Claudia Vector's family. Her father, at least, was definitely magical.

It seemed ages since she'd cared about the fate of the missing Arithmancy professor, though. Her attempts to befriend Claudia had been a complete failure, and she no longer really cared about why she behaved as she did. Anyway, did the past really matter when right here, right now, someone was stalking the castle, someone who wouldn't stop at murder?

So many unanswered questions: How were the stricken students doing? When would classes begin again? Had an investigation begun in earnest?

Her mind buzzing, Lucia was scarcely aware of the long climb up to Ravenclaw tower. At the top of the last flight she stopped, confused. Something was buzzing, and it wasn't in her mind.

Her heart sank when she saw Jain still standing outside the door, blocking the way in.

"Erm, would you mind - " she started to ask, hoping the prefect couldn't hear the sound coming from her pocket. Jain didn't budge, and before Lucia could open her mouth again, the alarm began to clang, softly at first, then louder and louder.

Frantically, Lucia fumbled in her pocket for the dratted thing. At last she managed to retrieve it and handed it over with shaking fingers, her face burning with shame.

Wincing at the racket, Jain wasted no time in stopping the alarm with a wave of his wand.

Lucia sighed with relief. She couldn't be more than a minute late. Surely the prefect wouldn't bother about that.

"You're late," said the boy flatly, making no move to let her pass.

Lucia ventured a tremulous little smile. "Erm - yes, I'm so sorry, but - "

Inspiration struck. "I really was keeping track of the time; perhaps my watch is a little slow."

Jain somehow managed to snort without altering his dour expression in the slightest. "Do you know how many times today I've heard about defective watches? Have yours adjusted if need be, but late is late, and you won't be going out again for the rest of the week except for meals and classes. If there are any." He added the last few words in a tone that expressed deep doubt.

Chastened, Lucia slunk through the door and surveyed the common room. Her fellow first years seemed to be pretty much where she'd left them, except for Mike. It took Lucia a few minutes to locate her friend amidst a group of students clustered around Professor Flitwick. That was odd: If their head of house had announcements to make, why not tell everyone at once?

Ruth looked up from her book with a smile when Lucia approached.

"Did you get a lot of work done?" she asked. "I'm afraid my mind keeps wandering." Her smile faltered a bit.

"Not much, I'm afraid," Lucia admitted. "But what is that all about?" She pointed toward the corner where Mike and the others were gathered.

Amanda closed her own book with a snap. "No idea. I'd ask Pam, except that she's out patrolling the corridors. At least, I suppose she is; I haven't seen her since breakfast." She looked thoroughly disgruntled at having to sit here like the rest of them, desperate for any scrap of news.

"I suppose we'll have to wait till lunch to find out anything," Galen Bolt complained. "I wish we could go down to lunch now - even though I'm not very hungry."

He looked surprised to be saying that, as though hunger were his natural state.

Lucia took out her daybook and made a few notes about what she'd learned in the library, then closed it, wishing once more that she and Hugo had been able to hold a real conversation. From what Jain had said, classes weren't going to resume today, so she'd have no chance to exchange even a few words with him.

With a sigh, Lucia got up and wandered over to the window. The grounds seemed empty except for a few uniformed witches and wizards - searching for clues, she guessed. With a sigh, she returned to the group and tried to read her Potions book. It seemed ages before the meeting finally broke up. Mike returned, an odd, closed expression on her face.

Lucia ignored it and pounced. "What is it? Bad news?"

Mike sat down, folded her shapely hands and regarded her classmates coolly. "No, Professor Flitwick didn't tell us about classes or anything."

"Then, why? - " Lucia began, but Mike cut her off.

"In case you hadn't noticed, everyone he called over is Muggle-born."

"So?" said Amanda, her eyes narrowed.

Mike pulled a face. "So, he wanted to - warn us."

Andy Bannion nodded sagely. "Warn you about the poisoner, you mean. Isn't it a little late for that?"

"Not exactly," Mike replied, her mouth tight. There was tension in every line of her body. "If you must know, he told us how he understands our situation on account of having goblin blood, how he had to be twice as clever and work twice as hard as the next wizard all his life - that sort of thing."

Mike's voice dripped with disgust. "Then, he told us to watch out - in effect, not to take candy from strangers. As if whoever's out to get us would try the same trick twice."

Ruth regarded her friend with concern. "I do think Professor Flitwick might have been a bit more - tactful. But I'm sure he meant well."

Before anyone could respond, Mike rose abruptly and headed for a seat next to Olivia Chin, a second year who'd been at Professor Flitwick's meeting. The two girls soon had their heads togther; they were too far away for Lucia to hear what they were saying, but Lucia watched them with a heavy heart. If only Professor Flitwick could have offered theMuggle-borns some words of comfort and reassurance. Everyone could use some of that at the moment.

Getting started on her Potions essay might take her mind off things. She needed a fresh bottle of ink from her tunk first, though. In the dormitory, she saw Calypso lounging on her bed and realized she'd paid no attention to her familiar since before breakfast.

As soon as Lucia stopped to pet her, the white cat began to purr loudly and knead the bedspread.

"Sorry I've been neglecting you," Lucia murmured. "It's been a rotten sort of day." The cat acknowledged the apology with a soft "mr-ow", stretched, and hopped lightly off the bed while Lucia knelt beside her trunk. Her search for ink produced socks, underwear, robes, books . . . then, at the very bottom of the trunk, an ink bottle and a roll of parchment Lucia recognized by its thickness. She drew it out and sat back against the bed to unroll it.

These were her old stories, many of them unfinished, dating back to the time when she first learned to use a quill. As she began to read, she was soon overcome by a sense of something like loss. How naive she had been, to imagine that magic would always save the day, that virtue would prevail, that disappearing fathers would always return. It hadn't taken Lucia many months at Hogwarts to discover how different fiction was from real life.

If Lucia had known the Vanishing spell, she would have used it. As it was, she rolled up the sheets and thrust them down to the bottom of her trunk. Then, the Potions essay forgotten, she leaned back once more and closed her eyes. Despite her earlier determination to leave the detecting up to the professionals, questions crowded into her mind.

How had the would-be killer been able to brew his poison undetected? What spells would he have to know in order to make the candy? Where and how had he managed to make it? Might he have left traces, or was he too clever for that?

Even a very clever - and very wicked - first year wouldn't have been able to manage all that, at least not without help . . .

A sound something like the scurrying of a mouse caught Lucia's attention. She opened her eyes to see Calypso pouncing on something half-hidden under Claudia's bed. Whatever it was had the cat in a frenzy of pounding and batting.

Curious, Lucia went over to see what was so fascinating. She stooped down and managed to get a look at her cat's prize: a ball of crumpled parchment. She was just reaching out to take it when a voice behind her spoke in tones dry as crumpled paper.

"Make the cat drop that at once, or I'll turn it into a cockroach."

Lucia was pretty sure the second "it" didn't refer to what Calypso now held between her jaws. She reached out for her familiar just as Claudia whipped out her wand. Before the owl-eyed girl could use it, however, Calypso had dashed out the door with her prey.

"