17. THE BLOODLINE
The next week seemed to shuttle past with the inertia of a freight train. As the end of the term loomed, the library grew busier and busier. The older students moved about in a sort of harried fog, studying and drilling each other on topics James could barely understand. Even the Gremlins seemed tense. Noah, Sabrina, Damien, and Petra sat on the couch before the fireplace, surrounded by loose parchments, books, and candy wrappers. James waved at them as he passed, heading down to the library.
'Hey, Damien,' he said, 'thanks for helping out in the Headmaster's office the other day.'
'Just doing my job,' Damien muttered, his nose buried in a huge book of star charts.
On the way down to the library, James considered the events of the previous days. It was all moving so fast that it was becoming hard to keep track of. On Monday, James had informed Scorpius that he, Ralph, and Rose had been ordered to shut down the Defence Club as punishment for sneaking into Hogsmeade. Scorpius had been strangely unperturbed.
'A pity that you won't be able to keep attending,' he'd said blithely, looking up over his glasses from the book he'd been studying.
'I don't think you understand,' James said, sitting down. 'The club's been disbanded. Merlin ordered it.'
Scorpius looked down at his book again, turning a page. 'I understand it as well as I wish. As far as I'm concerned, you three have been banned from leading the club. As co-teacher, I've no intention of shutting it down. We'll rename it if necessary. We'll call it, oh, 'Scorpius' Army'.'
'That's not funny,' James said, shaking his head.
'No?' Scorpius replied. 'Well, I sat up all night thinking of it. So, drat.'
James thought about it for a moment, and then asked quietly, 'You'll really keep teaching the club? Even though Merlin thinks it's been shut down?'
'I'm sure I don't know what you mean,' Scorpius answered. 'If the Headmaster has determined that the Defence Club should be dissolved, then dissolved it will be. It's pure and simple coincidence that I, along with the Specter of Silence and the Grey Lady, will be teaching an entirely new club that happens to meet in the same place at the same time to study the same topics. Surely, the Headmaster would recognize the difference.'
James shook his head, smiling crookedly. 'You really are a chip off the old Slytherin block, aren't you? You're as twisted as a corkscrew!'
'Being twisted simply means being able to think around corners,' Scorpius said, returning to his book. 'My father taught me that.'
James started to get up, then stopped and looked back at the pale boy. 'Cedric actually has you calling him the 'Specter of Silence'?'
Scorpius adjusted his glasses. 'Who am I to argue with a ghost's choice of name?'
Apparently, Scorpius had been as good as his word. On Thursday evening, James, Rose, and Ralph had hovered in the halls near the gymnasium. Sure enough, as they passed the pebbled glass doors, they could hear the sounds of the club, practicing and drilling under Cedric's and the Grey Lady's patient tutelage.
Preparations for The Triumvirate were also coming along swiftly. Jason Smith's props crew was working double-time, having produced most of the sets and prop elements, including a huge wind machine that worked on treadle power. Gennifer Tellus was feverishly commanding her costume shop, managing all the adjustments, alterations and last-minute costuming details. Josephina Bartlett had recovered from her hex- induced vertigo enough to climb onto the stage, although she couldn't approach the edge without getting dizzy. Nevertheless, a contingent of Ravenclaw girls had begun a rather snarky campaign to reinstate Josephina in the role of Astra. To that end, they had painted a slew of signs and pinned petitions onto several notice boards. The petitions hadn't accumulated many signatures, however, and apart from Josephina's entourage, even the rest of the Ravenclaws seemed to quietly support Petra in the role. For his own part, James was impressed to realize that he had now learned almost all of his lines. There had been a time when he hardly believed it was possible, but the persistent rehearsals and late-night script readings had apparently paid off. Noah and Petra seemed by turns affectionate and cold during rehearsals, obviously reflecting the ongoing tumult of their relationship. James had still not practiced his kissing scene with Petra, although they'd read through the lines a dozen times. Professor Curry assured them that it need not be a real kiss, but simply that they lean toward one another and touch cheeks. They'd be in silhouette to the audience, and the lights would go out the moment the kiss occurred, thus ending act three. To James' great dismay, however, he was forced to obey Tabitha Corsica's direction whenever Professor Curry wasn't around. Tabitha seemed to take perverse pleasure in forcing James to recite his monologues over and over, constantly critiquing him and belittling him in front of the other actors and crew. As James sweated in the bright stage lights, rereading his rallying speech for the ninth time, his dislike of Tabitha's pretty, smug face slowly intensified into a bright little furnace of hatred.
The Quidditch season had finally ended with a smashing victory by Hufflepuff over Gryffindor, resulting in days of merciless taunting by the Hufflepuffs and surly retorts from the Gryffindors. To commemorate Albus' first season as Slytherin Seeker, Tabitha had apparently given him the broom he'd been flying all season, the same mysteriously hexed broom which had caused James, Ralph, and Zane so much trouble during the previous year. James could hardly believe that Tabitha would relinquish the broom, but he also knew it would only serve to endear Albus all the more to his Slytherin mates. Besides, if Tabitha was turning over something as powerful as that broom, it would only be because she had something even more powerful in her possession.
And then, this very morning, James had finally received a letter back from his father. He'd read it over breakfast with both Ralph and Rose peering closely over his shoulder.
Dear James,
Sorry about the late response, but I've been terribly busy with this new Auror subdepartment. We've called in Kingsley to give us a hand with it, and he's been a great help both in organizing and preparing the field team for what they'll be up against. Believe it or not, even K. Debellows has offered his assistance. Turns out the Harriers faced a Dementor hive like this once in Hungary. Viktor has his squad on standby, just in case, so that's a relief.
Spot on about this Gatekeeper business. Our researchers at the Ministry had already begun to piece together some details about it. We have old Dung Fletcher in protective custody, and he had an inkling that the people who orchestrated last year's conspiracy were working toward something big like this. We're quite confident that this whole 'Curse of the Gatekeeper' story is just a massive scare tactic. The P.E. is still at work trying to secretly destabilize the magical world, and what better way to do it than to invent a grave new threat that the Ministry isn't able to contain, eh? Don't worry. We've got the best people on it, including me. Still, be sure that we won't be taking any chances, all right? If there really is something behind this besides a load of rogue Dementors, we'll be on the lookout for it.
Regarding the R. Stone, you can always ask me whatever you want, James. Tell your friend Cameron I remember his uncle well and that he's right about the stone. After I used it in the Forest that night, I dropped it. I didn't need it anymore, and it was best lost to the wizarding world forever. I'd guess it's still out there somewhere, but even I could probably never find it again. I strongly recommend that you not go looking for it. It'll only mean trouble. Let it stay lost, all right?
Love,
Your father
P.S. No, still no sign of what's gone missing, but honestly, I haven't had much time to look for them. Mum and Grandma say hello. Grandma is staying in Albus' room, so you
