'It wasn't me!' Ralph protested, and then lowered his voice, glancing toward the front desk. Slughorn was reclined behind it, peering at a gigantic book through a pair of tiny spectacles and drinking something frothy in a stoneware mug. Ralph grimaced and sighed. 'Slughorn found my GameDeck this morning. He said I left it in the common room. He was all diplomatic about it, but he told me I wanted to be very careful about things like that. Said I should probably try to leave my 'Muggle toys' at home.'
James furrowed his brow. 'I thought you said it'd gone missing a few days ago?'
Ralph became animated. 'It did! That's what I mean! I didn't leave it in the common room! I'm about to chuck the stupid thing in the toilet! Somebody took it out of my bag and left it out there for Slughorn to find. I hate those guys!' Ralph's voice had descended to a harsh whisper. He glanced around quickly, as if he expected his housemates to pop out from behind the nearest bookcase.
Zane looked thoughtful. 'You don't know who took it?'
'No,' Ralph said sarcastically. 'I'm pretty sure that was the point.'
'You have it with you?'
'Yeah,' Ralph said, deflating a bit. 'I'm not letting it out of my sight until I can get rid of it. It doesn't work all that well around here anyway. Too much magic in the air or something.' He dug the game console out of his backpack and handed it under the table to Zane.
James watched as Zane worked the buttons swiftly and the screen came to life. 'If anybody sees you with that thing,' Ralph muttered, 'it's yours. Happy Christmas.'
Zane pressed buttons fluidly, making the screen flash and cycle. 'I'm just checking to see if the last person who played it made a profile.'
'What's a profile?' James asked, leaning to look at the screen.
Zane waved him away without looking up. 'Don't look. Slughorn will see. Ralph, tell Mr. Wizard here what a game profile is.'
'It's just a way to keep track of your game,' Ralph whispered. 'Before you play, you create a profile, with a name and stuff, usually just something made up. Then anything you do in the game is recorded under that profile. When you come back later and log in to that profile, you can pick up wherever you left off.' 'You '
'I'm not even going to answer that,' Ralph said flatly.
'Here we are then,' Zane said, stubbing a finger at the screen. 'Does the name 'Austramaddux' mean anything to you?'
'No,' Ralph said, raising his eyebrows. 'There's a profile with that name?'
'Right here. Created around midnight day before last. No other info and no game progress at all.'
James blinked. 'No game progress?'
'Nope,' Zane said, shutting the device down and passing it back to Ralph under the table. 'Plenty of login time, but no actual gaming. Probably couldn't figure out that D-pad up and the left shoulder button worked the super attack. Newbies.'
James rolled his eyes. 'So what's it mean? Who is Austra-whatsisname?'
'It's just a made up name, like I said,' Ralph said, stuffing the GameDeck into the bottom of his bag. 'It doesn't mean anything. Right?'
Ralph said the last to Zane, who was sitting across the table looking almost comically thoughtful. He had his head tilted, his brow furrowed, and one corner of his mouth cinched up, dimpling his cheek. After a moment, he shook his head. 'I don't know. It's familiar. Seems like somebody just mentioned that name, but I can't place it.'
'Well, all I know,' Ralph said, propping his chin on his hands, 'is I'm dumping this thing off with my dad at the break. I'm sorry I ever saw it.'
'Mr. Potter,' a voice suddenly boomed nearby. All three of them jumped. It was Professor Slughorn. He had approached the table and was suddenly standing behind James' chair. 'I had hoped to run into you. So good to see you, my boy. So good indeed.'
James forced a smile as Slughorn patted him on the back. 'Thank you, sir.'
'You know, I know your father. Met him when he was a student here and not yet the famous Auror that he is now, of course.' Slughorn nodded knowingly, winking, as if Harry Potter had not, in fact, been enormously famous even before he'd become Head Auror. 'He's mentioned me, no doubt. Very close we were at the time. Of course, I've lost track of him in the years since, what with my teaching, pottering about, turning into an old man, and his getting married, developing his illustrious career, and making fine young men like yourself.' Slughorn punched James playfully on the shoulder. 'I look forward to catching up with him a bit during his visit next week. Do tell him to look me up, won't you?'
'I will, sir,' James said, rubbing his shoulder.
'Good, good. Well, I'll leave you boys to your studies, then. Carry on, er, lads,' Slughorn said, glancing at Ralph and Zane with no apparent recognition, despite the fact that he and Ralph had spoken that very morning.
'Oh. Uh, Professor Slughorn? Could I ask you a question?' It was Zane.
Slughorn glanced back, eyebrows raised. 'Why, certainly, er, Mr.?'
'Walker, sir. It was your Potions One class, I believe. You mentioned someone named Austramaddux?'
'Ah, yes, Mr. Walker. Wednesday afternoon, was it? Now I recall.' Slughorn glanced distractedly toward the front desk. 'Yes, not really potions-related, but his name did come up. Austramaddux was a historian and Seer from the distant past. His writings are considered, well, apocryphal at best. I believe I was making a little joke, Mr. Walker.'
'Oh. Well, thank you, sir,' Zane replied.
'Never a problem, my boy,' Slughorn assured him, glancing around the library. 'And now, I must return to my duties. I'll not distract you further.'
'That was quite a coincidence,' Ralph whispered, leaning over the desk as Slughorn drifted away.
'Not really,' Zane reasoned. 'He mentioned Austramaddux in class as a joke. I remember now. It seemed to be a reference to a source that isn't all that trustworthy or is a little loopy. The way we'd refer to a tabloid or a conspiracy theory or something. Slughorn's head of Slytherin House, so he probably uses that same reference among your guys. They'd know it. That's why the one that made off with your GameDeck knew the name.'
'I suppose,' Ralph said doubtfully.
'But why?' James asked. 'Why use a name that means 'don't trust me, I'm a loon'?'
'Who knows what dopiness lurks in the hearts of Slytherins?' Zane said dismissively.
'It just doesn't make sense,' James insisted. 'Slytherins are usually all about image. They love all that cloak and dagger stuff, with the dragons' heads and secret passwords. I just don't get why one of them would use a name that their own Head of House treats like a joke.'
'Whatever,' Ralph said. 'I have actual homework to do, so if you two don't mind…'
They all spent the next half hour working on their homework. When it was time to pack up, Zane turned to James. 'Quidditch tryouts tonight, right?'
'Mine, yeah. Yours, too?'
