The Second Photograph
Had Tess been alone, would she have quailed at descending into that black chasm? As Morwena passed under the archway onto the first downward step, Tess drew her wand and followed. Once they were all on the stairs, the secret door closed behind them. It was suddenly, deeply black. Their wand tips floated in the darkness like little sprites. The air, though, was cool, and felt fresh. It didn't seem like room that had been abandoned for years and years.
At the bottom of the step was a lantern. Morwena lit it with her wand, and it cast a yellow circle out into the gloom. At the far end of the room was another lamp. Rhiannon crossed the room and lit it.
The light revealed a sofa with a small side table. The sofa, with brown textured woolen upholstery, faced a fireplace with a wooden mantle. Along the top of the sofa was a tartan blanket.
"This room is remarkably clean," said Morwena. "No dust or cobwebs. The House Elves must clean it regularly."
On the little table was a book. Morwena sat down on the sofa and pulled the book into her lamp. She opened it and held her wand tip to the pages to read it better. "It's a Manifesto," she said.
Tess sat down next to her and leaned in close. The handwriting was large and ornate. Rhiannon and Pauline stood nearby as Morwena began to read.
"We of the Esoteric Club make the following declaration: that the doctrine of Purity of Blood is False; that Muggleborns are the key to the Healthy Future of the Wizarding Community; Attempts to suppress and oppress Muggleborns weaken rather than strengthen our Community.
"Furthermore, the members of the Esoteric Club resolve to work, openly and in secret, to oppose the Dark Lord and his followers . . .
There's some signatures at the bottom," remarked Morwena. "Probably the whole club. Highcross' name is first, of course."
Morwena peered down to read the next signature, then turned and gave Tess a questioning look.
At the same moment, Pauline, said, "Hey, what's that?" A glint of silver in the flickering torchlight had caught Pauline's eye. Tess watched her walk to the mantle. "It's a picture frame!" Pauline plucked it off the mantle and looked at it. Rhiannon eased up beside Pauline. Tess got up off the sofa and went to join them.
"Look!" said Pauline brightly, "It's a Muggle photo. The people aren't moving."
"How strange!" said Tess.
Morwena, still seated, remarked, "It must have been some sort of statement, to have their picture taken with a Muggle camera."
The photo was only five inches by seven inches, set in a silver frame. The light from Rhiannon's wand tip glared against the glass. The photographer had not zoomed in enough, and the faces of the people were all quite small.
"That's the sofa," said Pauline, pointing first to the photograph and then to sofa where Morwena was sitting.
"Where's Scott?" asked Tess. Between the glare of the wand tip and the shadowy room, she couldn't see the faces properly.
"Let's take it under the lantern," suggested Pauline.
They moved under the lantern by the stairs. Pauline and Tess leaned in closely, their heads almost touching, and gazed at the faces. There were seven people crammed onto the small sofa. One was perched on the arm.
Tess assumed that Scott, being the captain, would be at the center of the photograph. Instead, he was on the far left. "Has his arm around a girl, of course," said Tess, proudly.
"Too handsome not to have a girlfriend," agreed Pauline.
The girl was snug against Highcross. Her arm disappeared behind him, and her head rested on his shoulder. This was clearly not the first time they had sat so closely.
"May I have the frame a moment?" asked Tess. Pauline nodded. Tess took the frame and held it close to her face. "Who have you got there on your arm?" she murmured.
That’s his Esther. She didn't think it was very likely that she would know the girl, but then again, the Covenshires were a well-connected family. It might be someone I know . . .
Still, it came as a shock. She flinched, as if startled awake from a deep sleep. She brought a hand up to her mouth. A chill ran down her spine as the pieces of the puzzle fell quickly into place. Then, her world dissolved into tears . . ..
Tess let go of the frame. Pauline caught it in midair. It was only then that she realized Tess was crying. Rhiannon reached out and snatched the picture frame away from Pauline. Rhiannon peered down at the photograph and huffed, "I knew it was something like this!"
Morwena calmly stood and came over to Tess. She took Tess in her arms and led her back to the sofa.
Pauline looked from girl to girl, bewildered. "Will somebody tell me what the hell is going on?"
Tess had buried her head into Morwena's chest. Morwena stroked her hair and gave her temple a soft kiss. "I need to tell Pauline," she said. Tess, though still shuddering and sobbing, gave a visible nod.
Morwena, however, did not directly answer the question. Instead, she asked, "Rhiannon, is there someone in that photograph that you recognize?"
"Yes," said Rhiannon, harshly. "Aunt Livy. And, he's got his arms around her!"
"By Aunt Livy," asked Morwena, solemnly, "you mean Olivia Soulbridge, Tess' mother?"
"Yes."
"Tess' mum's in that picture?" asked Pauline. She took the photograph from Rhiannon and looked once more at the girl on Highcross' arm.
"Her name is in the book, here, too," said Morwena. "I was just about to ask Tess about it when you saw the picture frame.
"Pauline, you are far more familiar with Muggle photos than we are. Is it possible to determine when that photo was taken?"
"Maybe. Let me take it out of the frame." Pauline brought the frame to the little side table and laid it face down. The back was held in place by metal clasps, affixed with screws. With her fingernail, Pauline loosened the screws enough to move the clasps and slide the back off the frame.
She eased the photo out of the frame and studied it closely. Then, she flipped it over "Yes. There’s writing on the back. June 6, 1993."
Morwena nodded. She ran her hand through Tess' hair and gave her another kiss on the temple. "Rhiannon, when was Tess born?"
Rhiannon's voice was cold and stern. "February 14th, 1994."
Pauline was cottoning on. She counted quickly on her fingers. "That's only eight months," she said.
"Correct," said Morwena calmly. "Olivia was, most likely, already pregnant when that photo was taken."
Rhiannon snapped, "And Uncle Whorley is, quite literally, not in the picture!"
Tess gave a whimper. Morwena ran her hand gently down Tess' back. "Let's explore that possibility for a moment. Pauline, is it likely that someone is holding the camera?"
"Sure, but it doesn't have to be. I think, if they were taking a group picture like this, that they'd want everybody in it."
Morwena nodded. "I agree. So, assuming they were purposefully not using magic to take the photo, how did they do it?"
"Well, they could have used a tripod and a timer." Pauline turned and looked at the mantle. "Actually, they don't even need a tripod." Pointing to the photograph, she added, "I bet it was this guy, the one sitting on the arm of the sofa. He could have set the timer, put the camera on the mantle, and then rushed over to the sofa."
Morwena reached out, and Pauline handed her the photograph. Morwena studied it carefully, then handed it back to Pauline. "Please put it back in its frame."
As Pauline eased the photo back into the silver frame, Morwena continued. "Kaufmann would tell us to draw our conclusions from the evidence we have in front of us. There are still many things that we don't know, but one thing is clear to us now: Scott Highcross is Tess' biological father."
"That's why he looks so fondly at Tess!" said Pauline, excitedly. "Because she's his daughter!" Then, she reconsidered. "But, why does he call her Esther? Is that her real name?”
“It must be,” said Morwena. “It must have been changed to Tesserach later.”
Pauline: “How does he know Tess is his daughter? He never saw her when she was eleven. He died years ago, didn't he?"
Morwena nodded. "Magical Photographs contain a memory of the person in the picture. It's as if the person is still alive. He will know his friends and relatives."
"This is why we got Howlers," said Rhiannon, bitterly. "This was some big scandal, I'm sure. Aunt Livy getting pregnant by a Muggleborn boy? God, the Soulbridges must have had a fit!"
"They buried it," said Morwena. "And we dug it up."
Rhiannon: "As soon as they knew what we were up to, they tried to stop us. That was what Grandmum Ashfeld was going on about. 'Don't bring shame upon your relatives.'"
Morwena gave Tess another gentle kiss. "There were just too many curious things this year. The picture, Meadows. Tess had to get to the bottom of it."
Tess was still slumped against Morwena. Pauline sat down next to her and ran her hand slowly against Tess' back. "I'm sorry," said Pauline softly. Rhiannon picked up the picture frame from where Morwena had set it, and gazed carefully at each face.
Finally, Tess sat up and dried her eyes with her hand. “I can’t believe my mother was an irresponsible teenager,” she said, finally. The others laughed.
“Come,” said Morwena. “We’ve been in this dark place long enough. Let’s get you cleaned up.”
Morwena took possession of the book, containing the Esoteric Club’s Manifesto and the signatures of its members. Pauline put her arm around Tess. Rhiannon reluctantly took possession of the silver picture frame.
The secret door opened with a tap of Morwena’s wand. When they had all exited into the brightly lit study room, Morwena waved her wand once more, extinguishing the torches. As soon as she crossed the threshold, the stone archway became a wall again.
They went first to the girl’s bathroom in the library, where Tess washed her face. As they left the library, Morwena said to Madam Pince, “We’re done with the room. Thank you for lending it to us.”
They made their way to the Grand Staircase, intending to go down to the Halls. As they drew closer, however, they could see there was some kind of game in progress on the stairs themselves. Several boys, Hufflepuffs mostly, were darting around the second-floor landing, shouting and shooting sparklers. Other sparklers rained down from the wands of boys farther up the stairs.
The excited, shrill voice of small Philip Harkenborough echoed against the stone walls. “They’re going to draw the ire of the Headmistress,” said Morwena, sternly.
Just as she said this, a call went out, “It’s McGonagall!” The sparklers stopped, and the boys fell suddenly silent.
Morwena smiled smugly. “Let’s go this way, shall we?” She led them to another stairwell, and down to the level of the Halls.
Morwena took them to their study room. On a fresh piece of parchment, she copied over the manifesto. Then, she and Rhiannon set about deciphering the rest of the signatures.
Tess sat in silence. Her world had been shaken to the core, but despite her earlier statement, it was not her mother who troubled her. It was when she thought of her father that her world spun. She loved Whorley dearly, and had always been proud to be his daughter. But, am I really Tess Covenshire, or am I Esther Highcross?
I’ve always been Tess Covenshire!
But, it was a lie. They tricked me. They tricked everybody. Because my real father was Muggleborn.
The girls let her brood and pout. After all, Morwena had often fallen into dark moods, and Rhiannon was frequently, stonily silent. Among them, only Pauline was consistently cheerful.
At twelve o’clock, the girls went up to the Great Hall for lunch. Tess was still lost in thought, but Morwena took note that Liam Wren and Paul Hewson had combined their gangs and were sitting together at the Gryffindor table.
The other Slytherins were already eating. The Second Years were on one end of the table, while Umberto, Gordon and Vanessa sat on the other end. In the middle of the table, equidistant from each group, sat Cyrus and Spencer. Morwena sat down across from Umberto, and the other girls filled in around her.
Umberto, brow furrowed, his voice low with concern, asked, "Is Tess all right?"
"Yes," said Morwena. "Don't worry. We're taking care of her."
Tess managed to give Umberto a shy smile. More food began to appear in front of them - fresh plates of grilled cheese sandwiches sliced into triangles, bowls of tomato soup, and slices of juicy Fuji apples.
Tess didn't feel like eating, but at the other girl's urgings, she had a few spoonfuls of soup.
After lunch, the girls retreated to the room with the two loveseats. Just after one o'clock, Robert entered, his black cloak still dripping wet from the deluge. "Have you tried the secret door, yet?" he asked urgently.
Tess nodded, while Morwena said, "Yes, we have. It was quite instructive. We have uncovered the connection between Tess and Scott Highcross."
"I see." He pulled from his pocket an envelope which was remarkably dry, considering the circumstances. "Got a letter from Dev this morning. Didn't actually read it until lunch, over warm butterbeer at The Tree Broomsticks. He said . . . well, here." He thrust the envelope towards Tess.
Tess took it and removed the letter. She allowed herself another small smile. Devon enchanted his letter and envelope so it wouldn't get wet in the rain.
The letter was terse, typical of Devon's correspondences, without preamble or pleasantries.
Kauf,
My sister, Tess, is working with you on some project, and it's got my step-mum Olivia in a tizzy. Seems you're on the verge of uncovering a family secret. My dad, Whorley Covenshire, isn't Tess' biological father. Her real father may be this Highcross bloke you’ve been looking into.
I was seven or eight when Tess and Olivia came into my life, and I really didn't know how things worked at that age. When everyone said Whorley was Tess' father, I accepted it. It wasn't until Livy was pregnant with Aylie that I began to ask questions. Even then, they were keen to hush things up.
Not sure how you want to handle this info. If you can get time on the Floo Network, let me know, and we can talk it over.
Dev
Tess handed the letter back to Robert. "The secret door led to a hidden room. We found a picture with my mom and Scott Highcross sitting together."
Pauline quickly produced the frame. Kaufmann studied it intensely. "It's that pair on the left," said Pauline.
"Yes. They look quite cozy together."
"I knew right then what the fuss was all about," said Tess. She was trying to keep a casual tone, but her voice cracked, and a sob escaped her lips.
Morwena wrapped her arm around Tess and allowed Tess’ head on her shoulder. “The photo was taken in June of 1993, right at the end of Highcross’ Fifth Year,” explained Morwena. “Tess was born just eight months later. Scott and Olivia must have been only sixteen at the time.”
“So, he dropped out of school,” said Robert, picking up the narrative. “He got a letter of recommendation, and someone found him a job.”
“And then, I was born,” said Tess, sadly. “I’m Esther! That must have been my name.”
Robert knelt in front of her and gazed into his eyes. The pain and confusion she felt was reflected in his face. He touched her shoulder and said, "I always thought that you were. I didn’t know why it had been changed, but I assumed from the start that your name had once been Esther."
“Look at this book!” cried Morwena, urgently. “It’s the Esoteric Club’s Manifesto!”
Robert stood and read through the manifesto. He carefully reviewed each signature. “Here is the list Madam Pince hinted at, the one the men didn’t find! Olivia Soulbridge, this is Tess’ mother’s name, is it not?” he asked. Tess and Morwena both nodded. “This was the name the men removed from the lists, severing her from Highcross, protecting both her and infant Tess from the Dark Lord’s retribution!”
“I can’t wait to hear what my mother has to say about all this,” said Tess.
Robert handed the book back to Morwena. "To someone like Dev, Knowledge is simply Knowledge. To us, to Slytherins, Knowledge is Power." Tess nodded. "Use it well."
Once more, he touched Tess’ shoulder. "I will give you back the paper you submitted. I held onto it – I hadn’t given it to Roddy yet. I had a feeling there was more to discover, and that you were on the verge of it.
“I look forward to the revised report. And this time, I want to see more than one name on the paper!" Kaufmann strode from the room, leaving a trail of water drops in his wake.