Waiting for a Sign
On the morning of January 28th, Reginald Dennison challenged Patrick Wren to a duel. The Slytherins finished their breakfast first, then loitered in the Entrance Hall for Patrick and his friends. As soon as Patrick crossed into the Entrance Hall from the Great Hall, Reginald called to him. “Wren! A word, please. Just the two of us.”
“Sure,” said Patrick. The two stepped outside. The wind was blowing, but there was no snow at that moment. “What do you want?”
“I think it’s time we tested our skills against one another,” said Reginald. “I hearby challenge you to a duel.”
Patrick’s eyebrows flashed quickly up and down, but he kept his face and voice calm. “Just the two of us?”
“Carter and I, versus you and Took.”
“I can’t speak for Took,” said Patrick. “He’s not in my house. How about me, Duffy, and and Flannery, against you, Carter and Thompson?”
At the mention of Aiden Thompson, Patrick noted an eerie glow in Reginald’s eyes, and the boy’s smile was positively snakelike. “Agreed.”
“When are we doing this?”
“Midnight tonight.”
“I need my beauty sleep,” said Patrick, wryly. “How about ten?”
“Ten o’clock this evening. Agreed.”
“Where?” asked Patrick.
“The Astronomy Tower.”
Patrick laughed. “You’re not trapping me up there. How about the practice room on the Second Floor? The room without any furniture. Nowhere to hide. Everyone will have to stand and fight.”
“Agreed.” Dennison did not offer his hand to shake. He pulled open the door to the Entrance Hall and then paused. “Don’t disappoint me,” he said.
Patrick met up with his friends back in the Entrance Hall. Shona had joined them, as had Ben Took and a few of the other Hufflepuff boys. “What did he want?” asked Shona.
“Don’t you have a class to get to?” asked Patrick.
“I’ll get there,” said Shona. “What did Dennison want?”
“He wants to duel me. It’ll be me, Duff and Flan against him, Carter and Thompson. 10 pm tonight.”
Shona exploded. “You dummy! This is an old Slytherin trick! He’s trying to get you in trouble. You’ll show up for this duel, and the prefects will be waiting to bust you! Meanwhile, he and his creepy friends will be tucked in their beds!”
“Sounds like a trap to me, too, boss,” said Duffy. Ben nodded in agreement.
“I’m not chickening out on a fight,” said Patrick.
“I’m going to tell the prefects,” said Shona, “and that’s going to put an end to it.” She stormed off to class.
The boys looked on amused. It was Patrick, after all, who invited Shona to join their gang.
“In the meantime,” said Patrick, “we’re going to act as if the duel is on. We see those snakes around school, we give ‘em hard looks, like we’re raring for a fight. If Shona’s right, and this is a trap, maybe they’re the ones who’ll get caught in it and not us.”
Shona made good on her promise. She caught up with Dave Evans before lunch and told him what Patrick had said about the duel. Dave sat next to Patrick during lunch and put his arm around the younger boy. “Shona’s right,” he said. “This is an old Slytherin trick to get eager Gryffs like you in trouble.”
“I hate to back down on a challenge,” said Patrick.
“Yeah, but you don’t want to miss the party, do you?”
Patrick’s eyes lit up. “Party?”
“We’ve been keeping this under wraps, but I can tell you now. There’s a party tonight in Gryffindor Tower. It will be loud and fun. You coming?”
“Yeah, I’m coming!”
“You’re not going to skip out at 10 o’clock?” asked Dave. “Because, we will be watching the door, and we will bust you if you try.”
“Understood.”
“And on top of that, your brother will wring your neck. ‘There’s to be no shenanigans tonight,’ says Wren of Hufflepuff. ‘Not with the Headmistress gone to her banquet.’”
“Oh! That’s tonight?”
“Why do you think Dennison picked today to challenge you? A night that the prefects will be out in force to clamp down on stuff like this?” He ran his hand roughly through Patrick’s hair. “You need to be on your guard against tricks like this.”
Liam heard about the proposed duel first from Ben Took during lunch and from Dave Evans right afterwards. When lunch was over, Liam met up with Umberto and Morwena at the Slytherin table. Everyone had left save for a few First Years dawdling over their sandwiches.
“I’m disappointed in Dennison,” said Umberto. “It was too predictable a move. Even the Gryffindors saw through it.”
“Oh, I heard little Shona Mac had something to do with that,” said Liam.
Morwena smiled and added, “Yes, Shona is half Slytherin, after all, and it shows through at times, despite herself.”
“Do you think the Gryffindors will keep their word?” asked Umberto.
“Oh, they’re having their party, alright,” said Liam. “I have promises from Dave and Alma that they’ll watch the doors and keep my brother from getting into any trouble.”
“Then we have nothing to worry about,” said Umberto.
He left with Gordon, but Liam stayed a moment longer. Morwena asked him, “How is Lara feeling?”
“Lara has been very quiet,” said Liam. “Not her normal quiet way, but lost in thought. It’s got all of us Badgers on edge, especially Stacy.”
“Stacy knows Lara better than any of us,” said Morwena.
“Yeah,” agreed Liam. “So, if Stacy’s worried, then I’m worried. I just don’t know what I’m worried about yet.”
Liam spent the afternoon with Gillian. At three o’clock, he returned to the Entrance Hall. McGonagall and Gregor were preparing to leave. Most of the senior prefects were there, along with Edward DeVere, the potions master, who was designated to stay behind that evening.
Gregor spoke to the prefects. “I trust you have it all in hand.”
“You won’t have any trouble out of Gryffindor Tower,” said Dave. “We plan to keep all our trouble in the tower tonight.”
Gregor smiled at the little joke before turning to Liam, the lone representative of the Hufflpeuffs. “Wren, do the Badgers have plans tonight?”
“The Badgers will keep close to the Den tonight, I think,” said Liam. “Turn in early.”
DeVere cut in. “You know what we ought to do? Hold a chess tournament!”
Ronald Reuel responded quickly. “That’s a brilliant idea, professor. We’ll take over a few of the study rooms at the base of the tower and send out invites to the Hufflepuffs and Slytherins.”
Umberto said to Ronald, “It’s been too long since you and I have played chess. We’ll have to have a game tonight.”
“Gladly,” said Ronald. “Wren, you want in on this?”
“Hark is our chess player,” said Liam. “But he’ll be working in the library with Langlet and Madam Pince. I’ll see who else on my side wants to play.”
“Splendid!” said DeVere.
McGonagall’s eyes fell on Liam. “How is Guishar? She is not here.”
“She left this in my able hands, Professor,” said Liam.
“Should we be concerned? Madam Pomphrey will be here tonight as well, if anyone is feeling ill.”
“We are as prepared as we can be,” said Liam.
“Well,” continued McGonagall, “I’m sure that, if there is any trouble, you will be sprinting into the center of it at your first opportunity.”
“That I will be, ma’am,” said Liam.
“Franz, we should be going.”
Gregor shook hands with DeVere, then he and McGongall exited out the main doors. They walked to the main gate and then vanished.
Liam looked to Dave and Alma. “Let’s find my brother and make sure he’s not getting into trouble.”
They found Patrick and the others practicing dueling in the second story practical room. Shona was there, and she greeted the prefects excitedly. “Nolan Marret has already been by, spying on us. I’m sure he’ll tell Dennison we were in here practicing. The Slytherins will think we’re coming to the duel for sure. Maybe you’ll bust them for once instead of us.”
“That’s the plan,” added Patrick, cheerfully.
“Alright then,” said Liam. “In the spirit of ‘keeping up appearances,’ let me give you all a few dueling pointers.” He showed them the techniques for casting spells and hexes silently and then had them continue practicing.
As Shona predicted, Nolan Marret went straight to Dennison with the news that the Gryffindor boys were practicing dueling. Dennison and his gang were in one of the lounges on the Upper Floor of the Halls.
“If they are practicing,” said Aiden, “then we should practice.”
“I know what spell I’m casting tonight,” said Dennison, lazily. “The rest of you can do what you like.”
Aiden took Terrill, Freddy and Jason out into the hallway outside the Common Room to practice. “Jones,” said Aiden. “Stand next to Carter and pretend to be dueling Reese. Carter, throw a hex at me. I’ll block it and then send a quick attack at Jones.”
“Why me?” asked Jones.
“I won’t hit you with anything bad,” said Aiden. “I just want to practice the technique. If Dennison is facing off against Patrick Wren tonight, I want to give him a little help.”
“Reggie won’t like that, you helping him,” said Jason.
“I want to see Patrick Wren go down,” said Aiden. “And, I want a hand in it. A double attack will throw him off balance. It may just be enough.”
“It’ll make you vulnerable to whatever’s coming at you,” warned Terrill.
“I’ll deal with it,” said Aiden. They practiced with Terrill facing off against Freddy and Aiden dueling Jason. Aiden tried the sneak attack against Freddy several times. Most were successful, but he was consistently slow getting his guard up against Jason’s next attack.
During dinner, Ronald Reuel came to the Slytherin table and announced, “We’re having a chess tournament tonight. We’ll take all comers. The first rounds will be Third and Fourth Years. You’ll play one round as white and the next as black. One loss as white or two as black and you’re out. A win or draw, and you keep playing.
“As one player is eliminated, a Fifth Year will join, and then another, until all the Fifth Years are in. Then we’ll move on to the Sixth and Seventh Years. We’ll play until we have a winner.”
He gazed at Dennison and said, “You especially are encouraged to participate.”
Dennison gazed slyly back at him. “I have other plans for tonight.”
Aiden was eager to try his skill against the Ravenclaws, but he didn’t dare leave Dennison’s side. “I’ll pass,” he said.
Umberto said, “I will take the challenge.” Arnold Brent, Blake Ellsworth and Pierce Mageford agreed to play as well.
Ronald then made his pitch to the Hufflepuffs. A Fifth Year boy named Roderick was eager to play. A few of the Fourth Years, including Bell’s friend Ava Swansea, volunteered, too. “There ought to be some girls there,” said Ava.
“Elanor Boissard is playing, too,” said Ronald.
Cosmo said to Ben, “You wanna have a try?” Ben shook his head, no.
Philip, too, turned down the invite. “Sound fun, Ron, but I’m working in the library tonight. Maybe some other time.”
“Very well, then,” said Ronald. “The rest of you, we’ll see you right after dinner.”
As soon as Ronald left, the eyes of the Hufflepuffs returned to Lara. She nibbling at her food, lost in thought, completely unaware of the people around her.
“It’s a good play by DeVere, having this tournament,” said Liam. “But it’s not enough to stop what’s coming at us.” He took out his Witchter ball and sent a text to Umberto. His suspicions were quickly confirmed. Reginald Dennison would not be participating in the tournament.
At the end of dinner, the Gryffindors left the Great Hall together. They were already singing and carrying on, loudly and cheerfully. When they left, Liam brought the Hufflepuffs down to the Den. Even the Seventh Years were following his lead. They sensed his unease, and they were as unnerved as anyone at Lara’s behaviour.
Lara sat down on one of the sofas by the fire, still lost in thought. Stacy came to Liam and said, “I’m worried.”
“I’m worried, too,” said Liam. “I’m just not sure what we’re worried about yet.”
Philip said, “I’ve got to go to the library. Pauline and I are working a full shift.”
“Go ahead and go.” He shook Philip’s hand, and Philip departed. To the group, he said, “Anyone heading to Ravenclaw Tower, now is the time.” A group of Third and Fourth Years gathered around Roderick. Liam felt unease growing in his stomach. “Mike and Fortney, escort this bunch to the games and then come straight back. Fifth and Sixth Years, let’s be ready for whatever’s coming at us. Stay dressed. Keep your shoes on. Shower in the morning.”
In the library, Madam Pince kept Philip and Pauline busy. The Sixth and Seventh years were beginning their NEWT projects, and there were many obscure, rarely viewed texts to put away. It was the end of the month, too. Many books that were due had been turned in during the day and lay in stacks on Madam Pince’s desk.
Reginald Dennison sat with his gang at one of the wooden tables on the main floor of the library. Jim Clarke was watching them from the stacks, and David Boar was guarding the stairs that led up to the Restricted Section. Though Aiden could not see her, he knew that Q must be nearby, too.
Reginald looked at him and said, “Thompson, go fetch us some dragon books, will you?”
I’m not letting you ditch me, thought Aiden. He looked to Jason, sitting next to Reginald. “Carter, come with me.”
Jason looked to Reginald, who nodded. Aiden led Jason to the row with the dragon books. He pulled several out that he knew had detailed, full color illustrations and handed some to Jason to carry. “This will keep us busy for a bit,” said Aiden.
The boys sat quietly and flipped through the pages of the books. Occasionally, Freddy or Jason would point excitedly to one of the pictures in the book – an especially fearsome looking dragon, or one accompanied by a scantily clad woman.
Aiden was tense, his mind on the upcoming duel. Is it still on? he wondered. He whispered to Dennison, “Did you see the Gryffs tonight? They left all together. And, I noticed that Reuel did even ask them if they wanted to play in his tournament.”
Reginald looked smugly back at him. “Everything is going according to my plan.”
Time slowed to a crawl. Aiden did his best not to look at his watch every five minutes. The book in front of him was hardly a distraction, as he had read it through many times before. His mind kept returning to the duel and the spells he wanted to try against his opponent, and the sideways strike he would make against Patrick.
He’s called me Mama’s Boy one too many times. Tonight, it’s time for payback.
7:15 … 7:30 … 7:45 … At five minutes to eight, Reginald closed his book and stood. The others hopped to their feet. “Let’s go,” he said.
He strode from the library. Aiden took a look back at Jim and Dave. They were slow recovering from Dennison’s sudden move.
Q, however, was ready and waiting, just outside the door to the library. “Where are you lot off to?” she asked.
Dennison paused and let the rest of his gang go ahead of him. When they were all in the hallway, Dennison, with a sneer, said, “Good night, Quillan.” He flicked his wrist, and suddenly, Q was covered in an inky darkness.
Q let out a shriek as the black cloud covered her. Jim and Dave sprinted towards her. Philip, right behind them, was the first to understand what had happened. “It’s Peruvian Darkness Powder,” he said. He drew his wand and, making it like a vacuum, began pulling the powder off of Q.
“I’m sorry,” she said as she became visible again. “I panicked.”
“It’s alright,” said Philip. “The counter-charm is easy enough.”
“Yeah,” said Jim, “but where’s Dennison?”
The hallway beyond was clear and still. Dennison and his gang were gone. Jim held his wand out on his palm. It spun and spun without settling on a direction.
“He’s using anti-tracking charms,” said Q. “He’s done this before.”
“I will report this to Liam,” said Philip. “I’ll leave it to you to tell Morwena.”
Liam had been pacing the common room and checking in regularly with the painting of Colonel Pikelson, founder of the Badger Guards.
“All clear, Colonel?” he asked.
“Clear and still as a summer lake, Captain,” replied the painting. Pikelson had heard students calling Liam “Captain.” Though some of that had been sarcastic, the sarcasm had not registered with Pikelson.
At 8:02, Liam’s Witchter ball buzzed. Philip gave his report of Dennison throwing Darkness Powder at Claire Quillan and escaping. His conversation had barely ended when Morwena called to tell him the same thing. “Have your prefects check that second floor practice room,” said Liam. “The place of the duel.”
“I’ve already given them the order,” said Morwena.
“I’m checking in with the Gryffs,” said Liam. “If I hear anything, I’ll call you back.”
He tried Alma first. “Hullo, Wren,” she said. “You’re missing a bang-up party.”
“How’s my brother doing?”
“He’s under our thumb. Us prefects are taking turns sitting by the door, but Patrick and his friends are having a blast. He’s not going anywhere tonight.”
“Dennison’s given his prefects the slip.”
“Well, we have our end sewn up. Whatever goes wrong in the castle tonight is going to be his fault.”
Liam slipped his Witchter ball into his pocket. He gazed over at Lara, still sitting by herself, in a chair by the fire. Her friends, sitting nearby, kept giving nervous looks her way. Liam walked over to Lara and knelt so that he was right in front of her. “Larisa,” he called, the one sure way he knew to get her attention. Her eyes slowly focused on him. “You gotta tell me something. I need to know what we’re up against.”
Lara’s voice was soft and low. “We are waiting for a sign.”
Liam stood and said in a loud, clear voice, “Alright, people. We are waiting for a sign. Let’s get the little ones to bed. They can sit and talk, whatever, but I want them tucked away safe. Fifth and Sixth Years, be ready to go at a moment’s notice.”
There were nods all around. The Fifth Year prefects began gathering the younger students. “Mike, Fortney, let’s check on Hark and then we’re pulling those kids back from the chess tournament. I want everyone back in the Den as soon as possible.”