Umberto's Trap
Pauline did not wait for another blue mood to descend upon her. After that morning she shared with Philip in the secret room, she was eager for more. She brought Philp back there the following Saturday evening.
“I was able to reserve the room every Saturday through the end of term,” she told him.
“Really? I know this is a popular room for studying, especially around O.W.L. exams.”
“Even Ravenclaws need to take time off and relax,” said Pauline. “Whenever would they work on their chess games, otherwise?”
In the room, Philip was nervous and awkward. “That’s a very strange password,” he said.
“Don’t worry about it, okay?” said Pauline. “It was set up ages ago. I guess the word was taboo for a while. That’s why they picked it. That’s what Wennie says, anyway.”
“That word is still taboo in certain circles,” said Philip. “I was shocked to hear Morwena utter it. It’s jarring to hear you say it.”
“Well, we don’t know how to change it, so we’re sticking with it.”
He gazed at her, still visibly aroused and nervous. “I can’t believe I get to sit here with you. I’ve dreamed about it, sure, but I always doubted my ability to pull it off.”
Her tender gaze made him blush. “What were we doing in your dreams?”
“We were making love,” he admitted. “Now that I’m with you, I’m not sure what your expectations are, what my limits are.”
“Well,” said Pauline, matter-of-factly, “I can’t take the potion. Not ever. Tatiana said it will make my problem worse. So, if you go that far, you’ll have to use another method, or take your chances.”
“I would be honoured to give you a child,” said Philip, “but I want to be able to fulfill my responsibilities. I don’t want to take on more than I can handle.”
“That goes for me, too,” said Pauline.
“I should acquire some condoms then, the next time I’m in Hogsmeade,” said Philip. “Or, I should take Liam’s suggestion and Transfigure some breath mints.”
Pauline laughed. “You’ll make me minty fresh!”
Philip flushed deeply, but he pushed on in the same level tone. “So for now, let’s take that last step off the table. Is there anything else that I shouldn’t do?”
“If you were any other boy,” said Pauline, “I would tell you to go slow and be gentle. So far, that hasn’t been a problem for you.”
He leaned forward and kissed her hard on the mouth. “I’m feeling very eager and hasty this evening,” he said.
“I’m all yours,” said Pauline. She leaned back and pulled him on top of her.
The spring months passed quickly. As he had promised, Philip purchased condoms from the apothecary in Hogsmeade. He and Pauline continued to meet every Saturday night in the secret room. Though their play became ever more intimate, they held off making that final step, waiting for a moment of special significance.
In the middle of March, Pauline had a period, the first she had experienced since the attack. She was low and irritable, and experienced a severe bout of cramps. Lara and Morwena, however, took it as a good sign that her reproductive system was functioning normally again. Philip, true to form, was a perfect gentleman during that week, respectful and supportive. Their intimate play was delayed, but they still enjoyed a Saturday evening together in the secret room.
The Quidditch teams were practicing in earnest, preparing for their season at the end of term. Red-haired Theo bought a broom for his birthday during the spring Hogsmeade trip, a bright blue Falcon. He was eager to try his hand at Quidditch. He spoke to Liam about it.
“Have you ever played Quidditch before?” asked Liam.
“No, but I’ve played ball. American sports, mostly. Baseball and basketball. Plus, soccer. Football, I mean.”
“What do you fancy playing?”
“I’ll take whatever’s open and learn that.”
Theo wore gold rimmed glasses. Liam pointed to them and asked, “You have a plan for those?”
“Oh, I can hardly see without them,” he said. “But yes, I have a plan. My girlfriend fixed them so they stay on my head, and they don’t break or scratch.”
“You’re dating a Ravenclaw girl, aren’t you?” asked Liam. Theo nodded. “That’s the benefit of dating a smart girl. They know all kinds of good tricks like that. How about keeper? I could use a backup.”
Theo’s face brightened. “I’d love to try! You could teach me some pointers.”
“Alright, you’re in. Come to the next practice and I’ll give some reps in front of the hoops.”
Liam now had three fourth year boys on his second team. Cosmo was learning Beater techniques from Mike and Fortney. Ben was training with Philip, performing Seeker drills like chasing after orange golf balls. Liam taught Theo the basics about wand tips and which hoops were favoured by right-handed Chasers vs left-handed Chasers. Then, he threw him right into the fire.
The second team Chasers were all Fifth Year boys, while his first team comprised of Sixth Years Stacy and Stephanie plus Fourth Year Belladonna, who was their star scorer. Liam sent the first team against Theo and had the second team play defense in front of him. Theo struggled at first with the feints of the first team, but with each attack, he adjusted and got better.
On a throw from Bell to the right hoop, he guessed right and blocked the shot. The ball ricocheted off his hand and hit him hard in the face. Ellie’s charms held strong – his glasses neither broke nor fell off his face, but the blow left a bruise on his cheek.
“You alright?” asked Bell. She flew to his side and gave him a hug.
“I’m fine,” said Theo. “I have a little brother. I can take a punch.”
“Attaboy,” said Liam. “You definitely got what it takes. A few more practices, and you’ll be ready to face Gryffindor.”
Meanwhile, Ravenclaw Captain Larry Durrell was having trouble rounding out his team. A few of the Seventh Years that he was counting on playing dropped out on him, citing heavy academic work loads. One morning at breakfast, Sadie approached him. “Durrell, I hear you’re having trouble finding people for the Quidditch team. I’d like to put my name in the hat.”
“What position do you fancy playing, Thompson?”
“Well, I have a decent broom. My friends tell me I should try out for Seeker.”
“If you want that position, you can have it,” said Larry. “That’s one slot off my list. See if you can strong arm one of the young kids to train with you. It’ll be grand to have someone else in the pipeline.”
Sadie asked the Fourth Year girls if anyone was interested in practicing Seeker drills with her. Elanor volunteered. “My boyfriend is playing Quidditch, now. I never paid attention to it before. I think I would be more interested if I actually played the game.”
Sadie next went to Gillian. “So, I’m officially the Ravenclaw Seeker.”
“Congrats!” said Gillian. “See? Wasn’t that easy?”
“Yes. Now comes the hard part. I have no idea how to train for this role.”
“You need to work on your eye/hand coordination. Do you have a partner picked out?”
“Yes. One of the Fourth Year girls will be training with me.”
“Send an owl to Spindwitches. Ask for training seeker balls. They’re really just orange golf balls, but they’re the right size. Toss them to one another. Throw them in the air and chase after them.”
Sadie followed Jill’s advice, and in a few days, she had a bag of orange golf balls to practice with. Each Saturday afternoon, Sadie and Elanor spent an hour tossing the balls to one another. The Ravenclaw Second Year girls, including Elanor’s sister, Marie Claire, watched from the stands and shouted encouragement.
During the winter months, the Hufflepuffs enjoyed a narrow lead over the Ravenclaws in House points. Though the bright and eager Eagles kept the pressure on, the Badgers were able to match them point for point. Sometimes they edged ahead and other weeks, they gave some ground, but their lead over Ravenclaw stayed steady month over month.
Then, in the middle of April, the gap began to widen. The Ravenclaws gave up on the pursuit of points and began focusing on their upcoming exams. Liam’s strategy had broken the Ravenclaw’s spirit. The House Cup was within the grasp of the Badgers for the first time in anyone’s memory.
It was then that Umberto laid his trap at the foot of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He filed a formal written complaint with Madam Hootch that the Lions were using illegal methods of communication during games and practices. Madam Hooch assembled the four captains, plus other key players to discuss the issues raised in the complaint.
For Slytherin, there was Blake Ellsworth, Rhiannon MacDougal, Umberto Calais and Gordon Sumner. For Gryffindor: Paul Hewson, Dave Evans and Gillian Roycester. For Hufflepuff: Liam Wren, Philip Harkenborough and Mike Bendrix. For Ravenclaw: Larry Durrell and Sadie Thompson. They met in Hooch’s office adjacent to the stadium.
“Thank you all for coming,” said Hooch when they are all assembled. “There has been a written complaint by the Slytherin team as to the methods of the Gryffindor team. Since all of you will be playing Gryffindor at some point in the coming season, I wanted you all to be in on the discussion. Calais, since you brought the complaint, please explain it to the group.”
All turned to Umberto, who smiled serenely back at them. He reveled in the hostile stares of his Gryffindor rivals. “I have observed the Gryffindors during practice, Madam, using magic in what may be an illegal manner. I simply wanted a clarification on the point.”
“And what have you observed?” asked Hooch.
“It appears that the Gryffindor Chasers are communicating telepathically with one another.”
Hooch turned to Gillian and said, “Roycester, you are the Center Chaser and a known telepath at this school. Is it true? Are you and your fellow Chasers communicating telepathically with one another?”
Gillian shot a dirty look at Umberto before answering, “Yes, ma’am.”
“Are you using magic to direct the Quaffle in any way?”
“No, ma’am,” said Gillian, firmly.
Hooch turned back to Umberto. “How is this different from using hand signs?”
Sadie, watching Umberto carefully, thought this question might flummox the boy. Instead, he answered calmly, “Hand signs are ordinary sports techniques, Madam.” He made several gestures with his hand in quick succession, pointing his fingers in various directions. “Telepathy is not a skill open to all of us. It presents Gryffindor with an unfair advantage.”
“There are all sorts of advantages and disadvantages in Quidditch,” Hooch responded. “Harkenborough has a particularly fast broom. MacDougal, Ellsworth, Durrell, you’re all taller than average. That presents an advantage over smaller, younger players such as Belladonna Took, for instance.”
“Point taken,” said Umberto with a nod of his head.
“I just don’t see how Roycester’s telepathy differs radically from hand signals,” said Hooch.
Sadie felt a chill as she watched a thin smile spread over Umberto’s lips. “Following this train of thought for a moment, Madam, if you will. Say someone was able to crack this telepathic network. He would be able to know which direction the ball was heading, which hoop was under attack. Would that not be similar to divining an opponent’s hand signs?”
Gillian snapped, “You will never crack my network, Calais!”
Umberto’s malevolent gaze contrasted with his calm, measured voice. “I am merely speaking in the hypothetical, Roycester.”
Hooch held up her hand in an attempt to cool the tension between the two camps. “Inventing clever hand signs, and divining your opponent’s signs, is a cat-and-mouse game as old as Quidditch itself, and Magic is of course an essential element of the sport. I do not see this use of telepathy as giving Gryffindor an unfair advantage. It does not interfere with the strength or direction of any throw. I’m going to allow it.”
There were nods all around. Ellsworth huffed, “Well, that was splendid waste of time,” as he strode from the room. Rhiannon followed right behind him. Umberto surveyed the Gryffindors once more with a wide, sly grin, then he and Gordon left the room.
Liam went to Gillian’s side. She was still fuming from the confrontation with Umberto. “He lost the argument!” snapped Gillian. “Why is he the one grinning like the Cheshire Cat?”
Liam, not eager to be drawn into the conflict between his Gryffindor and Slytherin friends, stayed silent. Sadie answered the question. “He got an answer he was expecting, one he was ready for. He had a plan for yes and a plan for no. He’s moving ahead with his plan.”
“He will never crack my network!” snapped Gillian.
“Jill,” pleaded Sadie, “you’ve got to understand, he wouldn’t have even brought it up if he didn’t know how to do it.”
Paul set his hand on Gillian’s shoulder. “Nah,” he said, “Calais is just messing with us. This is just typical Slytherin gamesmanship. Jill’s right – you don’t get into her network unless she wants you there. There’s just no way.”
“Even if he could,” said Dave, “what good is it going to do them? Calais is their Seeker! How is he going to relay our plays to his Chasers? He’s got his own job to do.”
Liam slipped his arm around Gillian. “I think Sadie’s right. Umberto’s still one step ahead of you. He’s got a card against his chest that you haven’t seen yet. When he lays it on the table, you better be ready for it.”
“Whose side are you on, anyway?” said Gillian, pouting.
“We are trying to help you,” said Sadie. “Liam’s right. We know Umberto better than you do. He thinks ahead. He plans and he schemes. He sets traps for his opponents.”
“Whatever he’s got on his mind,” said Dave, “the rest of the Slytherins weren’t in on it. Ellsworth was just as baffled by this play as the rest of us were.”
“He didn’t want to tip his hand,” said Liam. “As long as it’s a secret, he’s got the element of surprise. I don’t know what he’s up to, but he’s up to something.”
Gillian shook her head. “I’m not going to be bullied off of something that works for me, works for my team, because of something that might happen. We’re going to play our game. I don’t think he can beat me even with his fancy trick.”
The group left Hooch’s office, and soon they were talking about other things. Liam put Umberto’s trap out of his mind, but Sadie kept pondering what her old friend Umberto was up to. One thing was clear to her: Umberto’s set a trap, and the Lions are flying straight into it!