isn't she?'
As Ted finished speaking, Grawp finally carried them out of the edge of the forest. The castle shone in the brilliant morning sunlight, its windows sparkling gaily, despite the turmoil within. The Garage of the Alma Alerons was quiet, its door flaps closed and tied shut. James remembered the time difference between the Hogwarts and the Philadelphia side of the Garage, and knew that those on that side would still be fast asleep. When Grawp turned the corner into the courtyard, Ted called for him to lower them to the ground.
'Great job, Grawp!' Sabrina said warmly, patting the giant on his enormous shoulder. 'Go take a rest with Prechka, why don't you?' Grawp grunted agreeably and lumbered over to the she-giant, who was indeed snoring loudly next to the steps into the castle. The massive wooden doors were hanging from one hinge each, smashed inward and gaping. The Entrance Hall was eerily empty and silent. As they entered, Ralph gasped and grabbed James' arm, pointing. There, lying awkwardly on the floor near the door, were Mr. Recreant and Ms. Sacarhina. Both had their eyes open and were grinning unnaturally at the ceiling. Sacarhina's arm was outstretched, sticking up and looking pasty white in the morning light.
'Are they… d-dead?' Ralph stammered.
Ted lightly kicked Recreant's foot. 'Not likely. They're still warm and they're breathing. Just really, really slowly. They were apparently down here in the hall when Merlin arrived. Looks like they tried to greet him and he just zapped them, somehow. He put loads of students to sleep, but these two got some special freezing treatment. Anyway, we pulled them out of the way so people wouldn't trip over them.' He shrugged and led them past the two prone figures, into the halls beyond the staircases.
'Where's Sylvven Tower?' James asked as they hurried through the corridors.
'It's the tallest tower in the old part of the castle. Narrowest, too,' Ted answered, his voice uncharacteristically somber. 'Not used for much anymore except stargazing sometimes. It's too tall and treacherous to climb. Petra says that it was an important part of the castle a long, long time ago. Every castle had one, and it was considered neutral ground, sort of like a universal embassy or something. Meetings between warring nations and kingdoms were held there, with one king on one side and the enemy king on the other. Four advisors were allowed to accompany them, but the rest had to wait below. Occasionally, wars would be decided and ended right there, sometimes with one leader killing the other and throwing the body from the top of the tower for all to see.'
James felt his heart sink even lower. 'So who's up there with him, then?'
Ted shrugged. 'Dunno. We got sent off to find you three while McGonagall was still getting everybody together. I assume she meant to meet him herself. She was looking pretty peaked about it, if you ask me.'
The five students walked through a wide, low arch, entering the oldest and least used section of the castle. After several curving, narrow corridors, they finally encountered people. Students were gathered in the corridors, lining the walls and talking in hushed voices. Finally, Ted led them into a round room with a very high ceiling, so high, in fact, that it was invisible in the dark, foggy heights of the tower. The floor was crowded with students, muttering in nervous anticipation. A rickety wooden staircase spiraled up the throat of the tower. After a cursory glance upwards, Ted began to climb the stairs. James, Zane, Ralph, and Sabrina followed.
'McGonagall's up there with… him?' Ralph asked. 'How, er, good is she?'
'She's the Headmistress,' Sabrina answered seriously. 'She's good.'
'I hope so,' James said quietly.
They climbed the rest of the way in silence. It took quite a long time, and James was feeling remarkably tired and achy by the time he reached the top. Ralph was wheezing behind him, pulling himself up with both hands on the thick banister. Finally, however, the stairs opened onto a room that filled the top of the tower. It was low, thick with heavy rafters and dust and centuries of owl and pigeon guano. Narrow windows marched around the perimeter of the room, revealing slices of morning sunlight. There were several people present, although none of them appeared to be the Headmistress or Merlin.
'James,' a thick voice said, and a hand fell on his shoulder, 'what are you doing here? This is no place for you, I'm afraid.'
'He was summoned, Professor Slughorn,' Sabrina said, following the others into the room. 'The Headmistress herself asked us to bring him, as well as Ralph and Zane. They are to go up right away.'
'Up?' Ralph wheezed. 'There's more? This isn't the top?'
'Ah, Mr. Deedle,' Slughorn said, spying Ralph. 'Yes, I am afraid there is, but only a bit more. It is directly above us. Are you quite sure about this, Miss Hildegard? This is hardly the place for children.' James thought Slughorn seemed a bit ruffled that he, Ralph, and Zane might be expected to go up while Slughorn himself was not.
'You were in the room when the Headmistress sent us to find them, Professor,' Ted said, allowing a hint of sternness to creep into his voice.
'So I was,' Slughorn acknowledged, as if the fact proved little.
'Let them proceed, Horace,' Professor Flitwick said from a bench near the window. 'If they are summoned, they are summoned. They are hardly any safer with us here if that savage prevails.'
Slughorn stared at James, and then, with an apparent force of will, softened his expression. He turned to Ralph and clapped him stiffly on the shoulder. 'Represent us well, Mr. Deedle.'
Ted motioned toward a short stone staircase that protruded through the wooden floor and up to a trapdoor in the ceiling. James, Ralph, and Zane approached and climbed the worn steps slowly. The trapdoor wasn't locked. James pushed it open and sunlight poured in, blinding him momentarily as he climbed onto the surface above.
It was almost exactly the same size and shape as the Grotto Keep, made almost entirely of stone but for the wooden floor in the center, from which the trapdoor opened. Marble pillars surrounded the space, but there was no roof. The morning sunlight filled the top of the tower, dazzling on the white marble and stone terraces. Merlin sat only a few feet away, facing the three boys as they emerged into the soft wind and warm sunlight. His face was stony and immobile, only his eyes moving to watch them.
'Mr. Potter,' the Headmistress' voice rang out in the stillness, 'Mr. Walker, and Mr. Deedle. Thank you for joining us. Please, find your places on my left. We will come to your tale shortly.'
James turned as Zane lowered the trapdoor closed. McGonagall was seated behind them, across from Merlin. She was dressed in a flame red robe both far graver and more ostentatious than James had ever seen her wear. It made her look both younger and dreadful, like a sort of tyrant queen. The chairs that she and Merlin sat upon were embedded in the stone of the lowest terrace so that both looked at each other across the wooden floor in the center. On McGonagall's left, arranged along the rim of the highest terrace, were four more carven seats, although they were much less ornate. Seated on them were Neville Longbottom, Professor Franklyn, and Harry Potter.
'Dad!' James breathed, a smile of relief and joy surfacing on his face. He ran up the steps toward his father.
'James,' Harry said quietly, his face grim, 'I was told you had gone missing. You had us very worried. I would have gone after the three of you myself, except that we received word you'd been found only moments after I arrived.'
'How did you find out?' Ralph asked, furrowing his brow.
Harry allowed a crooked smile and held up a Weasley rubber duck. On the bottom, Ted's handwriting was scrawled: Found them! Be there straight off! 'This is Petra Morganstern's, but she said they got the idea from you three. Very handy.'
'I'm sorry I took the map and your cloak, Dad,' James said in a rush. 'I know I shouldn't have. I really
