The Lists
As the Slytherins were sitting down for dinner in the Great Hall, Morwena approached Robert and said, “We have some questions for you.”
“Yes, yes,” he said with amusement. “I should have some time for you after dinner.”
Morwena took her seat next to Tess and across from Rhiannon. Rebecca leaned over and asked, “What are you bothering Kaufmann about?”
“We just had a question for him,” said Morwena, evenly. “We’re curious about one of the pictures in the Quidditch Museum.”
“Is your homework done?” asked Rebecca, accusingly.
“Yes.”
“For Monday and Tuesday?”
Morwena was unruffled by Rebecca’s accusatory tone. “Yes, it’s all complete.”
Rebecca sighed. “I wishI could say that. We’ve only been in school two days, and we’re already buried.” She sat down as the food magically appeared on the table.
Vanessa took advantage of her prefect’s distraction to sit between Umberto and Gordon. At the end of the meal, Vanessa went back with the boys to talk and scheme.
During dinner, Tess watched Vanessa nervously. She’s going to blab everything she saw this afternoon to the boys. They’re going to know about me and Scott, and Esther. There was nothing she could do about it.
After dinner, Tess and her friends did not return to their dormitory. They sat by the hearth, at the entrance to the Halls, and waited for Kaufmann to seek them out. He did not keep them waiting long. Soon, he was standing before them with his back to the fire, his hands clasped behind him.
“What question did you have for me, girls?”
Morwena forcefully took the lead. “What do you know about this boy, Scott Highcross?”
“Almost nothing,” said Kaufmann. “Everything I know about him, I put on the caption. I’d never even heard of him before McGonagall gave me that photograph.”
“What do you think of Tess’ idea, that Highcross is mistaking her for a former classmate?”
Robert shrugged. “It’s unlikely,” he said, “but it’s worth investigating.”
Pauline jumped in eagerly. “Are there any yearbooks we can look through?”
Robert considered her with amusement. “Alas, no. Hogwarts does not make yearbooks. However, we do make lists. Slytherins make lists, at any rate. They’re kept downstairs in the archives. I could make you a copy.”
“Would you please?” asked Morwena. “Now we are all quite curious.”
Robert nodded. “The match against Beauxbatons was in 1992. I’m not sure, of course, but I doubt he was a Seventh Year then. I shall pull the ones from ’92 -’93.” He grinned. “That should be fun to look at. There’ll be some famous names on those lists.”
The girls waited by the fire and talked. Tess, though, was too nervous to say anything. She gazed into the fire and tried to imagine the kind of girl Esther had been, and what her relationship with Scott Highcross had been like. She was his girlfriend. He loved her.
It was not long before Robert was back. “This is a copy,” he told them. “Don’t worry if it gets damaged.” Tess’ eyes went wide, and her shoulders tensed. Esther is on those lists. I know she is! To her exasperation, Robert handed the papers to Morwena instead of her.
Morwena clutched the papers to her chest. “Let’s take these somewhere more private, shall we?”
Morwena led them back to the dormitories. She sat on her bed, and the other girls gathered around her. Tess sat on her right. Pauline was to her left, and Rhiannon stretched out behind and looked over everyone’s shoulders.
Tess was sure that Esther was a Slytherin girl, but Morwena started with the Gryffindor list. Right on the top were the words, Head of House: Minerva McGonagall. “She taught Transfiguration, I believe,” said Morwena. “Dumbledore was headmaster.”
Tess could see that the students were arranged by year, with the Seventh Years at the top left and the First Years on the bottom right. Within their year, the students were listed in alphabetical order.
Tess quickly scanned through the list. There was no Esther. Morwena’s finger stopped among the Second Year names. “The Famous Harry Potter,” said Morwena, dryly.
Pauline excitedly pointed at a name just above Potter’s. “Hermione Granger! I met her.”
Morwena nodded. “She works at Ministry now.”
Rhiannon’s long arm slipped between Morwena and Pauline, and pointed at the bottom of the list. “Ginny Weasley Potter, Seeker for the Harpies.”
Pauline moved her finger between the names Ginny Weasley and Harry Potter. “These two are now married?” Morwena nodded. “Aww, they must have been childhood sweethearts!”
“So many Weasleys,” said Rhiannon. “I count five.”
“I think there’s one or two more,” said Morwena. “It’s a big family.”
“No Esther,” said Tess, impatiently. “Can we see the other lists, please?”
Morwena brought the Ravenclaw list to the front. Filius Flitwick was Head of House. Near the top of the list, amongst the Seventh Years, was another familiar name: Edward DeVere. Next to his name was the letters HB. “Head Boy?” suggested Morwena.
“Are you surprised?” countered Rhiannon.
“No, I suppose not.”
There was no Esther amongst the Ravenclaws. No name stood out to Morwena as being someone famous. She moved next to the Hufflepuffs. Pomona Sprout was Head of House. Tess’ eyes quickly fell upon another familiar name. “Sonya Meadows! Is that our Transfiguration teacher?”
“I’m sure it is,” said Morwena.
Pauline: “She’s so young! Two years younger than DeVere!”
“I would have thought she was younger still,” said Morwena, dryly. Next to Meadows’ name was a P. “Prefect, I suppose.” Her finger slid up the list a few names. “Cedric Diggory, also marked ‘P’ for ‘Prefect.’ That certainly makes sense.”
“Is he famous?” asked Pauline.
“Famous for being dead,” remarked Rhiannon, cruelly.
“He died early in the war,” explained Morwena. “He was still a teen, I believe.”
Tess, her impatience rising: “Can we see the last list, please!”
“Very well,” said Morwena.
Tess felt a chill upon reading the name Severus Snape as Head of House. Rhiannon expressed the same sentiment Tess was feeling: “I’ve heard so many contradictory things about Severus Snape through the years. I truly have no idea what to think about him.”
Morwena: “Potter testified before Ministry that Snape had been a double agent working to undermine the Dark Lord. He was killed by the Dark Lord himself during the Battle of Hogwarts.”
Tess had no interest in this history lesson. She went through the list quickly. “There’s no Esther!” she cried, mournfully. “I was sure she would be here!”
Morwena gave Tess a quick hug. “I’m sorry, Tess. I was doubtful about this, and, I think, so was Kaufmann.”
Tess got up and laid down on her own bed. She didn’t draw the curtains or change into her nightgown. She stared up at the flickering green lights and tried to shut out the confusing swirl of emotions in her head.
Pauline and Rhiannon, too, retreated to Pauline’s bed and began to talk quietly. Morwena sat on her own bed and continued to stare at the Slytherin list.
Morwena’s urgent voice broke Tess out of her musings. “Tess! Can you reach out to Kaufmann, please? I’ve spotted a problem with the list.”
Tess sat up. “What do you want me to do?” she asked, irritated. “He’s probably downstairs.”
Morwena’s dark eyes bored into her. “Please write him a note. Tell him we need to see him. It’s better that it come from you,” she added, “since he’s Devon’s friend.”
Tess sighed. She got a piece of parchment, a quill and her inkwell out of her school bag. In her best handwriting, she wrote a note to Robert. “Morwena has a question. Do you have a moment?” Taking her wand, she gave the paper a tap. The paper folded itself into a paper aeroplane. With another tap of her wand, the note flew out of the room.
Pauline, with a laugh: “You must teach me how to do that. My brothers will be so impressed!”
They dressed again in their school clothes and went out to the Hearth Room to wait for Robert. Rebecca found them there. “Are you girls still waiting for Robert?” she asked, surprised.
Morwena answered, “He gave us a list to look at, but I spotted something that I wanted to ask him about. So, we came back.”
Rebecca sighed, irritated. “This better be wrapped up soon.”
They heard heavy footfalls on the stairs. Robert Kaufmann appeared in the Hearth Room. He gazed with amusement at Rebecca and the young girls. “Yes? You had a question?”
“More of an issue,” said Morwena, matter-of-factly. “Morris Seersgrave is listed twice, as a Fourth Year and a Fifth Year Slytherin.”
Robert’s brow furrowed. “Show me,” he said. Morwena handed him the list, and he read it over carefully.
“Is this a problem with your duplicating spell, Robert?” asked Rebecca, tauntingly.
“That is the most likely explanation,” Robert admitted. He was clearly embarrassed by the error, but he kept calm. “Sit tight, won’t you?” He turned and disappeared down the stairs.
“We’re finishing this up and then we’re going to bed,” said Rebecca firmly. Morwena nodded.
Tess was morose. She didn’t understand what a this had to do with anything. Why is Morwena making such a big deal over a little clerical error?
Robert returned. In his hand was a thick sheet of yellow parchment. “This is the original,” he said, proudly. He stretched it out on a nearby table. The girls crowded around it. “The error is here, too.”
“That is very weird,” said Rebecca, with awe in her voice.
“You see, girls,” said Robert, in a patient yet pompous academic tone, “this is a Historical Document. It is checked for accuracy multiple times by several different people. And, these are Slytherins! Who would not hesitate to point out the mistake of his rival. This is utterly inexplicable.” With a sudden sweep of his hand, he gathered the list back into his hand. “Follow me,” he said.
He led them onto the “boy’s side” of the hallway, near the Quidditch Museum. There was an empty study room with a wide table. The light was very poor.
“Shall we light a lamp?” asked Morwena. “I can hardly see.”
“No,” said Robert. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to make it darker still.” He pulled from his robe a silver deluminator. To Pauline, he added, “Don’t be alarmed.”
Rebecca was, in fact, more alarmed than any of them. “Robert!” she said, in a warning voice, “Aren’t you being a little melodramatic?”
“No, I am not,” he said sternly. “Now, hush!” He clicked the deluminator, and the nearest lamp went out. The room became quite dark. As Tess’ eyes adjusted, she saw vaguely that Robert had drawn his wand. In a low voice, he began murmuring an incantation as he waved his wand over the parchment. His voice rose slowly, finishing in a loud staccato: “AT-GHAT-TAT!”
In the darkness, there was a faint orange spark. Robert slapped his wand down on the spot from where the spark had come. With his left hand, he restored the room lights fully, so it was brighter even than when they entered.
Robert’s wand was right over the Fifth Year Morris Seersgrave. “This is the imposter,” said Robert, firmly.
Morwena: “The name was copied from the Fourth Year column and added to the Fifth Year column?”
“Yes.”
“Do you think it’s covering up someone else’s name?” asked Morwena. Robert nodded. “Why?”
Rebecca exploded. “Robert, you know that’s impossible!”
“Not impossible, Rebecca. Just very, very difficult.” Turning to Morwena, he continued, “This parchment is enchanted. It’s coated with protective spells. We could throw it into the hearth and it would not burn. It would take Fiendfyre to destroy it. To modify it, you would have to undo all the enchantments, make the change, and put them all back on again. That’s far beyond the skill of a student, even a Seventh Year like me.”
Tess suddenly blurted out: “Esther! Her name was covered up!”
“We don’t know that, Tess,” said Robert, tenderly. “Not yet, anyway. I’ll have to find another list. The Ravenclaws keep lists, too. I’ll have Martindale fetch it for me.”
Rebecca, angrily, “Robert! This is just what I was afraid of! You keep dragging these girls deeper into one of your weird side-projects! You’re keeping them from their schoolwork!”
“On the contrary, my dear Rebecca,” he answered, hotly, “these girls are keeping me from my schoolwork, with their intriguing questions!”
“It’s late!” snapped Rebecca, stomping her foot. “It’s time for them to go to bed.”
Robert pulled in a deep calming breath, then made a bow. “On that point, I defer to your wishes. Take the girls to bed. I will speak to Martindale in the morning.” He retreated down the stairwell.
As soon as he was out of sight, Rebecca, her voice heavy with frustration, asked, “What is this all about? How did you get stuck on this?”
Tess’ thoughts were an emotional jumble. Morwena calmly explained the connection between Tess and the Highcross picture. Then, the five of them went back to the Quidditch museum to see the photo. Highcross performed admirably, lighting up with ecstatic happiness at the site of Tess, and mouthing the name Esther again and again.
“This is very, very weird,” said Rebecca. To Tess, she asked, “You’ve never seen this guy before?” Tess shook her head. “He’s not a family member?”
“Not that I know of,” answered Tess, meekly.
Morwena: “I was researching family trees this summer. I don’t recall this name coming up in any of the Slytherin families.”
Unstated, but understood by everyone (except perhaps Pauline), was the presumption that Highcross was Muggleborn.
“He can’t be related to me,” said Tess, this time with more force.
Her heart sank at Rebecca’s next words. “I’d better report this to Professor Gregor.”
Rebecca counted heads and suddenly realized Vanessa wasn’t with them. “Where’s Ables? Did she run off with her boyfriends after dinner?”
“Yes,” answered Morwena, promptly.
Rebecca’s eyes narrowed. “She had better be in the dormitory when we get back there.”
Fortunately for Vanessa, she was in the dormitory when the rest of them returned. She was sitting on her bed, in her pink flannel nightgown, brushing her long blond hair. As Rebecca interrogated Vanessa, Tess pulled her curtains and began to undress. She was angry and frustrated. For the moment, she focused this anger at Pauline.
She’s being far too careless! Blurting out that she had met Hermione Granger! There isn’t a door to our room. Anyone could have heard her. Everyone knows Granger is in Muggle Relations. There’s only one reason Pauline would have met her – because she’s Muggleborn! Something we are trying to keep secret!
Kaufmann knows for certain, now. Pauline yapping about yearbooks tipped him off. He was so careful not to frighten her with his deluminator. A Muggleborn wouldn’t know what one of those was.
Once Tess was in her blue flannel nightgown with blue ribbons and a white panel on the bodice, and white trim at the cuffs, she got into bed. A minute later, Rebecca was outside her curtain. “Can I come in?”
“Yes,” said Tess, morosely.
Rebecca slipped through the gap in the curtain and sat on Tess’ bed. She ran her hand gently through Tess’ hair. “You look so disappointed. You really wanted Esther’s name to be on that list.”
Tess nodded. “I don’t understand why someone changed the list.”
“I don’t know either. I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“You’re not going to get me in trouble, are you?”
“Of course not! But this is weird! The picture is calling you the wrong name, the List has been altered! We’re supposed to report strange things to our Head of House. He needs to know what’s going on.”
Rebecca could see the look of confusion and worry on Tess’ face. “You have a big school day tomorrow,” she said. “You need to get some sleep.” She bent low over Tess and kissed her on the forehead. Immediately, a heavy drowsiness came over Tess. She was quickly asleep.