James Potter And The Morrigan Web (48 page)

“Perhaps Grudje is just content to have nailed Longbottom,” Rose whispered at dinner.

“More likely Longbottom took responsibility for the whole thing,” James muttered. “The worst part is it’s all my fault. It was my idea and I talked him into it.”

Scorpius nodded loftily. “That’s true.”

“Quiet, Scorpius,” Rose chided. “The professor never would have gone along with it if he hadn’t agreed it was a good idea. There’s no point blaming yourself, James.”

As they spoke in hushed whispers, Albus approached from the direction of the Slytherin table, walking with almost absurd, forced casualness, hands clasped behind his back, whistling loudly. He slid an eye toward James and ducked toward him, cramming between Lily and Ralph.

“So how are we going to get in tonight, eh?” he asked quietly. “You going to meet us outside the portrait hole? Or do you trust me, your own brother, enough to just give me the password?”

“Tonight?” James blinked at his brother. “You don’t mean…?”

“Indeed I do!” Albus nodded vigorously. “Beetlebrick, Fiera and the rest of Slytherin Night Quidditch, we all risked our necks to help send that message last night. We deserve to be there when dad calls just as much as you do.”

“That’s rich,” Scorpius muttered. “If you think we’re going to let you winkle your way into the Gryffindor common room, you’re even more daft than I thought.”

Albus’ face darkened. “You watch yourself, Malfoy. I still haven’t forgotten our first train ride together, or what happened on the day of granddad’s funeral. Somebody owes you a good thrashing.”

“You’re still jealous that the Sorting Hat sent me to dear old dad’s house and you got tossed to the snakes,” Scorpius grinned humourlessly. “Isn’t that right,
Asp
?”

“Stuff a sock in it, both of you!” Lily exclaimed, pushing the boys apart.

“Wotcha,” Kendra Korner whispered suddenly, sticking her head between James and Ralph. “What time tonight? Midnight on the dot? Me and the other Hufflepuffs were thinking we’d skive out of astronomy club early and be there at half past eleven. What say?”

James boggled at her in horror.

“I say this is getting silly,” Rose said with a brisk sigh. “Look, Kendra, we can’t have two dozen people sneaking into the Gryffindor common room at midnight tonight.”

Albus leaned over the table intently. “You can’t just freeze all the rest of us out. We totally helped. You Gryffindors are always trying to take all the credit.”

Kendra nodded. “It’s not a bit fair, James. You have to let at least me and Albus in.”

“Budge up, Malfoy,” Herman Potsdam suddenly announced, forcing his considerable frame between Scorpius and Lily. He glanced seriously around the table. “This is about tonight, right? What time are we meeting?”

James threw up his hands in exasperation. “All of you are going to ruin everything. You know that, right?”

Ralph shrugged. “They did help, James,” he said. “It’s only fair that you let them be in on the conversation.”

“I don’t even know that dad got the message!” James hissed. “This could all be for nothing!”

“We should probably tell a teacher or two,” Albus suggested, ignoring James. “I heard Professor Longbottom say last night that McGonagall and Flitwick are in on the anti-Grudje rebellion.”

“Shh!” James hushed suddenly. He glanced quickly toward the head table, expecting to see Grudje watching. Instead, fortunately, the headmaster seemed to be virtually asleep, his fingers steepled, his eyes closed serenely. James heaved a brief sigh of relief. “We can’t just go around talking to teachers about this,” he went on in a lower voice. “Professor Longbottom said that Grudje has ears everywhere, possibly even in teachers’ quarters. If word gets out, we’ll get shut down for sure.”

Rose frowned. “How would Grudje be able to hear what people are saying in their quarters?”

Ralph screwed up his face in thought. “Extendable ears, perhaps?” he suggested. “Remember those ones that Ted Lupin had last year? The ones that didn’t even have to be connected to the source?”

Scorpius shook his head. “Any competent wizard knows how to find stuff like that. If there was some magical receiver in their quarters, a simple
Ravaelio
spell would show it.”

“Either way,” James interjected, trying to keep the conversation on point, “We can’t tell any other teachers, even if we know they are on our side. Not unless we know there’s no way Grudje is listening.”

“Fine,” Albus agreed. “But you need to at least allow us three to be there. It’s only fair.” He glanced from Kendra to Herman Potsdam, both of whom nodded firmly.

James deflated. “All right, all right. Be outside the common room door at five before midnight. Someone will let you in,
assuming
,” he added, bolting upright again, “there are no Gryffindors still in the common room who don’t know what’s going on, and that you don’t get rounded up by Filch on the way! Remember, he’s got the invisibility cloak now! If you get caught, you don’t say a word about this.”

“Oh,” Albus blinked in mock confusion. “I assumed you’d want us to invite Filch along, perhaps draw him a custom invitation with a check-box for whether Mrs. Norris will be attending as well.”

Scorpius smiled wryly at this, turning partly away so Albus wouldn’t see.

“Joke all you want,” Rose said, “Just don’t get caught. And bring Ralph, too. He was there in New Amsterdam with us. His input will probably come in handy.”

Ralph perked up to protest, then sank back, apparently realizing it would be useless.

“Score for Slytherin!” Albus chirped happily, clapping Ralph on the shoulder.

Scorpius flapped a hand at the newcomers. “All of you clear off to your tables. Grudje will smell conspiracy if you hang about here.”

“That’s true,” Herman nodded. “Last time a Hufflepuff sat with you Gryffindors was…” he frowned in deep thought. “Actually, I don’t think there was a last time.”

Albus saluted briskly. “See you tonight, James. Don’t keep us waiting. Come on, Ralph.”

One by one, the non-Gryffindors retreated to their own tables.

“Well then,” Scorpius proclaimed cheerily, grabbing a cupcake from the desert platter. “Looks like we’re going to be having quite a little party.”

James buried his face in his crossed arms.

At five minutes past midnight that night, James found himself on the sofa before the Gryffindor fireplace, crammed between Rose and Albus in the centre of a bubble of uncomfortable silence.

“You forgot, apparently,” Rose hissed at him, “that tonight was a Friday. No school tomorrow means loads of people staying up for no particular reason.”

James didn’t reply. There was no point. Behind them, the common room was indeed a hive of late night activity, crowded with knots of babbling students, a wizard wireless tuned to a distant Wyrd Sisters Reunion concert, and at least one raucous Winkles and Augers game. In the midst of this, as conspicuous as a third thumb, sat the gathering of Albus, Ralph, Kendra Korner, and Herman Potsdam, all hunched around the hearth with James, Rose, Lily and Scorpius.

“Do you mind?” Albus perked up suddenly, scolding Cameron Creevey as he crept curiously around the arm of the sofa. “We’re having a study group! No interruptions!”

“Albus,” Rose muttered out of the corner of her mouth. “You’re drawing more attention than you’re sending away. It’s bad enough having people from every house here for no apparent reason.”

Albus went on, undeterred as Cameron rejoined his friends at a nearby table. “We’re practicing advanced telepathy! Dangerous stuff if you don’t know how to do it. If you get within ten feet it’ll permanently scramble your brain. Seriously, you’ve been warned!”

Herman stirred uncomfortably. “It’s nearly ten past. Where is he?”

“We don’t even know he got the message,” Ralph commented. “This could all be for nothing.”

James crossed his arms stubbornly. “Give it a few more minutes. Dad just
had
to have been watching the Map. He couldn’t have missed us all out there on the pitch.”

“Maybe he was working last night,” Albus shrugged, growing bored. “Sometimes he has to, you know. Auror stuff. Happens around the clock.”

“Not lately,” Lily commented. “Titus Hardcastle has been handling a lot of the late night raids and stuff. After all, he doesn’t have a family or anything.”

“Titus is ten kinds of cool,” Albus nodded enthusiastically, turning to Herman and Kendra. “Tough as dragon claws and serious as a curse. He once faced a horde of inferi with nothing but a broken wand and a teakettle.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Herman shook his head. “How’d he beat them?”

Albus gave a sideways grin. “Let’s just say nobody ever brewed tea in
that
teakettle again,” he tapped his nose wisely, then added, “On account it was so dented and bloody from all those bashed inferi heads. Knocked a few of them clean off!”

“Ugh,” Kendra rolled her eyes.

Lily poked Albus in the ribs with her elbow. “That’s totally made up.”

“Not at all!” Albus protested. “Titus told me himself! He even kept one of the inferi heads! Stores it in a little trunk in his bedroom and makes it sing Scottish lullabies to him on nights he can’t get to sleep.”

“If it’s not true,” Scorpius mused, “it sure should be.”

“Look,” Ralph pointed suddenly at the hearth. “Somebody’s coming through!”

Sure enough, the coals of the fireplace were shifting and rearranging. Sparks crackled as a shape began to emerge. As one, the students scrambled from the couch and chairs, gathering around the fire in a nervous huddle.

A face emerged from the coals and grinned up at them. “Well! This is quite the little party, isn’t it?”

“That’s what I said,” Scorpius agreed, glancing aside at James.

“Uncle Ron?” James said.

“Dad!” Rose cried, delighted. “We weren’t expecting to see you!”

“I wasn’t expecting to be seen,” Ron shrugged. “Got a last minute message from Harry that you lot were keen to talk. Said something about a message you sent through the Marauder’s Map. I didn’t even know that was possible.”

“Uncle Ron,” James asked seriously, shouldering his way forward. “Where’s my dad? Why didn’t he contact us himself?”

“What, your old Uncle Ron not good enough for you?” Ron asked, feigning offense.

“Dad,” Rose chided. “This is serious. We have loads of important stuff to tell you.”

Ron nodded. “OK, seriously then.” To James he said, “Your dad’s been sent off on some international diplomatic hoo-hah, standing guard and looking official while a group of ambassadors sign this and shake hands about that. He’s been assigned to loads of those sorts of jobs lately, leaving Titus to manage the day-to-day operations.”

“What?” Albus exclaimed, “Still? But Dad’s head Auror! He’s the one should be sending others off on those sorts of busy jobs.”

“Believe me,” Ron concurred. “It’s no fun for any of us. Titus isn’t exactly a bundle of tickles, even when he’s not in charge of the office. The Minister himself has been requesting Harry personally, though. Not every nation has a Harry Potter to trot out, scar and all.”

“Dad,” Rose interrupted, leaning close to the fire. “Filch has gone off the deep end. The new headmaster has given him all sorts of authority
and
the magical powers to back it up.”

“And they shut down the post,” Lily added. “We can’t send anything anywhere without it being read by Grudje first!”

“And Uncle Ron,” James said earnestly, lowering his voice to a near whisper. “We went to New Amsterdam! It was by accident, but when we were there we ran into this really creepy wizard who calls himself the Collector! He enslaved a bunch of Muggles and forced them to help make some horrible magical weapon! And he’s not alone! We think he’s working with that escaped prisoner, Worlick, and maybe even… er…” He stopped himself, remembering that his uncle, like most people, didn’t exactly believe in the Lady of the Lake.

“We saw Viktor Krum,” Ralph chimed in. “He can back up what we say. He and the Harriers battled the monsters that that Collector bloke sent after us!”

“Wendigoes” Rose clarified enthusiastically. “Vicious old native American monsters! They were awful!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Ron said, shaking his head and squeezing his eyes shut. “This is a load of stuff and I’m just trying to keep up. You say Filch is using magic?”

James took a deep breath, glancing around at the others. More slowly this time, they took turns explaining everything that had been happening at the school, including Lily’s and Scorpius’ punishment and Professor Longbottom’s dismissal. Ron listened intently, his expression growing increasingly grave. When they were finished, he said, “Security has been clamped down everywhere, but this is taking things quite a bit too far. No one has any excuse to be screening the post. And your dad will be extremely unhappy that his cloak ended up in the hands of Filch. I’d be expecting a strongly worded communique about that if I was Mr. Grudje.”

“But dad,” Rose pressed, “what about what we saw in New Amsterdam? Like Ralph said, Viktor Krum can back us up on this. He interviewed one of the Muggles that the Collector had enslaved. She’s the one that told us about the Morrigan Web.”