James determined to get a peek at what the Gremlins were doing to the window. Carefully, he straightened and tiptoed to the edge of the staircase. He could hear Sabrina and Damien whispering animatedly, but he couldn't see anything. James turned to go back to his hiding place and ran face-first into Merlin's beard.
'Bleah!' James spat, recoiling. 'What are you trying to do, sneaking up on a bloke like that?'
Merlin's face was as impassive as ever. 'I take it you are on sentinel duty, Mr. Potter?'
James deflated. 'I was until I got a face full of beard. What is that stuff you put in it? Smells like the stuff Mum cleans pots with.'
'Fear not, Mr. Potter. I shall assure anyone who asks that you were positively prostrate with bowel difficulties. I came to ask a small favor of you. You do not have to do it, but if you do, I will consider it compensation for the points that were deducted from your house.'
James scrubbed at his face, shuddering, trying to get Merlin's beard oil off. 'Yeah, sure, what do you have in mind?'
'I need you to convince Mr. Deedle and a third person of your choosing to help me retrieve some items for my office. They are essential to my work, but I require some assistance in acquiring them. You might say they have been in storage for quite some time.'
'Like a thousand years or so?' James replied, feeling piqued. 'I didn't know they had rental lockers for that long. How do you know your stuff's still there?'
'That is my concern, Mr. Potter, not yours. May I assume your help?'
'Doesn't sound like you need us,' James muttered. 'Why don't you get some of the other teachers to help you?'
'Because I am a cautious man,' Merlin answered, smiling slightly. 'I'd prefer to keep my inventory somewhat private, as there are those who might question the origins of some of my tools. This is why I have specifically chosen you and Mr. Deedle. You two have already proven, perhaps to a fault, that you know how to manage secrets.'
'So I get Gryffindor's ten points back if we help you get your stuff? Sounds fair enough. I'm guessing that the deal only counts if we don't tell anyone though, right?' James said, looking up at the big man.
Merlin nodded. 'Thus, you should choose your third helper carefully. We leave tomorrow afternoon. Meet me at the entrance to the old rotunda, and be prepared to walk.'
Merlin turned to leave, his great robe swaying about him.
'Uh, Headmaster?' James called, keeping his voice low so as not to alert the Gremlins in the landing below. Merlin stopped and half turned back to James, one eyebrow raised. James asked, 'Any sign of the Borley?'
Merlin shook his head. 'But fear not, Mr. Potter. I have every reason to believe yours is the last one. It will show itself in due course. Perhaps next time, you will be better equipped to handle it.'
A moment later, the big man had gone, somehow melting into the shadows of the corridor, his footfalls making no noise whatsoever. There was definitely something creepy about the ancient wizard. He seemed to carry a sense of wildness and night air with him, even inside the halls of the school. Obviously, Merlin had secret ways of knowing what was going on in the halls. After all, he'd known exactly where to find James and what he was up to. It occurred to James that it'd probably be a challenge to sneak past Merlin even with the Invisibility Cloak on.
Shortly, the Gremlins tiptoed up the staircase again. Rose was the last up, and she was covering her mouth to stifle a giggle.
As they threaded their way back to the Gryffindor common room, Petra asked, 'Did you see anyone, James?'
James glanced at her, considering. After a moment, he shook his head. 'No one worth mentioning.'
It was the closest thing to the truth he could think of.
The next morning, as James was tramping down the stairway to breakfast, he was stopped by a noisy crowd gathered around the landing. Filch stood in the middle of it, staring up at the Heracles window. His cheeks were livid red and his eyebrows worked angrily. James could see the window clearly from his vantage point halfway up the staircase. The image of Heracles was gone. In its place was a fairly good representation of Salazar Slytherin. Strangely, he seemed to be grinning giddily and skipping down a winding path. He was arm in arm with a boy with unruly dark hair: Albus. A banner floated over their heads containing the words 'A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN?'. Worse, behind them, lying stricken on the path, was a pale boy with sharp features and white-blonde hair. The caricature of Scorpius had a word balloon coming out of its mouth. It read, 'FORSOOTH SALAZAR! BEHOLD MINE BREAKING HEART!'
'It's a line from a classic wizard love sonnet,' Damien said smugly as he crowded in next to James. 'One in ten people will probably get it, but it appeals to me somehow.'
'You are such a geek, Damien,' Sabrina said affectionately.
The sun presided over an unusually warm afternoon as James met Ralph near the great arch of the old rotunda. Beams of golden light made stripes across the marble floor and partway up the remains of the statues of the original founders. Nothing but their feet and parts of their legs remained after all these years. The broken bits were worn smooth from centuries of curious hands.
'She's coming,' James said as he trotted to a stop next to his friend. 'She just takes forever to get ready. What is it about girls and getting ready?'
Ralph shrugged. 'Fiera Hutchins says that girls take longer to get ready because they actually get ready. She says boys just matt their hair down with spit, slap on some cologne, and call it done.'
'So what's wrong with that?' James muttered.
Rose approached them from behind. She was looking cool and, James had to admit, much more prepared than he was. 'I told you I was right behind you,' she admonished.
'What's in the basket?' Ralph asked, nodding at the small satchel slung over her shoulder.
'Let's see,' Rose said, cocking her hip. 'My wand, some water, a few biscuits, a Bug-repellent Charm, a field knife, a pair of Omnioculars, an extra pair of socks, and some sunglasses.' She looked back and forth between Ralph and James. 'What? You said we were supposed to come prepared to walk!'
James shook his head. 'How can you be so like your mum and your dad at the same time?'
'Just fortunate, I guess,' Rose sniffed.
'We're supposed to be prepared to walk?' Ralph asked, furrowing his brow. 'Is that anything like hiking?'
James set out across the rotunda floor. 'Come on, Merlin said he'd meet us at the entrance, and when he gives directions, he means them.'
'I don't even own hiking shoes,' Ralph lamented, following.
The three stepped out into the warmth of the afternoon. At one time, centuries ago, the rotunda entrance had been the main entry to Hogwarts castle. Now it was virtually unused. The portico's huge doors were almost always left open, looking out over a long field of weeds and heather, ending at the edge of the Forest.
'Those are creepy,' Rose said, looking back into the gloom of the rotunda at the remains of the statues. 'They must have been enormous before they were broken. Whatever happened to them?'
'The statues of the founders?' James replied. 'They were destroyed. A long time ago. In a battle or something.'
'You don't know, do you?' Rose challenged, raising her eyebrows.
James didn't, but he wasn't about to admit it. He made a show of watching for Merlin.
