Confusing Cartography
"Colin Creevy was petrified on his way to spy on our meeting. Are you sure?" Daphne asked Daemon quietly. They were talking in one of the empty hallways on the third floor. Most students were still wary of it, even if it was not forbidden, and no longer enclosed a three headed dog. She had her back against the wall, and he had an arm next to her head so that they could talk face-to-face.
"Almost entirely certain of it."
"Any word on the Shadow Cards?" Daemon sighed sadly at her question.
"Yes," he took a deep breath, "someone in Thornblood leaked the information. Your friend needs to get rid of the Ace of Diamonds as soon as she can."
"Who knows?"
"Everyone. And most will stop at nothing to get all the Shadow Cards. Especially Black Diamond." Daphne cursed.
"Could Spearhead offer protection?"
"Their leaders might, but any members at Hogwarts might get greedy. More than one organisation has offered rewards. Your friend has singlehandedly caused chaos inside the European Circle." There was something in Daemon's voice that was strange, but Daphne let it pass as an idea occured to her.
"What if she hid it. Somewhere nobody could find it?"
"I suppose that could work," Daemon said in response, "but good luck finding that place. Nowhere is safe."
"The Room of Requirement?"
"That might protect it, but nearly all of the Circle know about it. It would only be a matter of time before someone found the Ace. Now stop worrying, you can tell your friend about it when you see her at lunch," Daemon leaned down and closed the space between them.
~|~
"Same place tomorrow lunch break?"
"See you then," Daphne parted ways with Daemon and walked over to Andy, who was sitting at the table with two open books and a sheet of parchment on her right, and a plate of half-eaten food on her left. She seemed to be copying information down from the book onto the parchment. When Daphne peered over her friend's shoulder to get a better look, she was surprised to find that the page was covered with both Latin and English scentences. "What are you doing?" she asked, startling Andy.
"Attempting to translate this book." Andy answered, gesturing to one of the books.
"How far through are you?"
"Second paragraph of I-don't-know-how-many. And I've been at it since dawn," Andy replied, sighing. Daphne looked at the cover of the book.
"The title is certainly not in English. Where'd you get it?" She questioned curiously.
"It's Hebrew. And I got it from Magnus," Andy said hastily. Of course it was from Magnus, Daphne thought to herself. It always was.
"Anyway, someone from Thornblood leaked the information that you have the Ace of Diamonds. You need to get rid of it, or hide it someplace very safe. ASAP." Andy's head snapped up.
"Why didn't you lead with that!" She said, immediately standing up and stuffing the books into her bag. "We need to find Perc-- Peeves.."
"What do we need Peeves for?" Daphne asked in confusion, following her friend out of the Great Hall.
"Because he has been around longer than any of the ghosts. If someone knows where to hide the Ace of Diamonds, it will be him." Daphne was uncertain that Peeves would even help them. It was easy enough to locate the poltergeist, and they found him attempting to balance a bucket of water on top of a door. "You need to put it further from the hinge-side, otherwise it will miss the person who opens the door," Andy said, causing Peeves to swoop down in front of them.
"What do you want? I have pranks to set up, you know." Peeves said, slightly irritated.
"I need your help."
"You need my help?" The poltergeist said in sarcastic disbelief, scoffing at the end. "You are the great Andy Clock, always having the moral highground, always the righteous and honourable one. What would you need my help for. Last time we spoke you made it perfectly clear that you were not willing to forget my past." Daphne looked between the two in confusion. She had glanced away for just a moment, but when she looked back, Peeves was somehow wearing jeans and a leather jacket. Her mouth formed a small O as she recognised the poltergeist.
"Do you remember what the last thing you said to me was? 'Don't get yourself killed'. Well, I need your help not getting killed," Andy said, bringing Daphne out of her thoughts.
"Fine. Only this once," Percival agreed reluctantly. "I assume you've thought of using the Hall of Doors?" Andy nodded. "Then why did you come to me! Just use the Restricted Section door."
"I thought of that, but other people know of it."
"If that's what you're worried about, then just pick an unlabelled door."
"I need somewhere that nobody knows of. Those doors all lead to places in Hogwarts."
"Chamber of Secrets?"
"You are seriously suggesting I hide it somewhere where there is a basilisk?"
"It would make a good guardian." Percival answered, shrugging, "besides, you need to speak parceltounge to get it, so that limits the number of people who can actually find it."
"Actually, that might be a good idea." Andy said after thinking about it for a few seconds. "Who do we know that can speak parceltounge?"
"I am going to use this opportunity to point out that I have no idea what is going on here," Daphne piped up.
"Oh, of course. Right," Andy began, "so basically Percival is Peeves. The whole Slytherin-Gryffindor rivalry is partially his fault, and Slytherin's Monster is a basilisk. Oh, and Merlin is his older brother."
"Merlin is your... Woah, hold up. I need some time to process." Daphne said in response, rasing a hand. "Right. Okay. People who can speak parceltounge."
"Orion Storm probably can," Percival said slowly.
"What!" Andy said in surprise.
"If I am correct, and I think that I am, then Orion Storm is descended from the Gaunt family, meaning he is most likely a Parcelmouth."
"Let's go find Orion then," Daphne said, moving to walk out of the door.
"Actually I think it would be better if I–" Andy was cut of by the sound of a bucket clanging on the floor.
"Oh come on! These were new!" Daphne exclaimed. Andy had to hold back a laugh when she saw the state of her friend. She was completely drenched in water, and her strawberry blone hair was dyed Ravenclaw blue.
"Um, Daph. Your hair..." Andy trailed off. Daphne looked at it horrified.
"Percival!" She shouted, turning back to where the poltergeist had been, but he was nowhere to be seen.
~|~
Andy noticed Percival taunting a gaggle of first-year girls further ahead in the corridor and rolled her eyes. "Oi, Peeves!" she called as she approached. "Can I have a moment?"
"Excuse me, missies. Something requires my immediate attention," as Percival spoke to them the girls gaped at Andy. One of them met her eyes, and Andy winked at them while smiling slightly.
"What do you want, Andy?" Percival asked once he had reached her.
"Do you remember what I said about first-years?" she scolded lightly.
"Don't annoy them at Christmas. Yeah, yeah. I remember. But that's when it's most fun," Percival replied, whining slightly.
"Oh I know. Which is why I was wondering if you wanted to help me go all out this year. I won't be able to do it by myself," Andy replied, watching as the poltergeist's eyes lit up.
"Just like old times?"
"Better," Andy said in response, a mischevious glint in her eye.
"And when you say all out, do you mean all out?"
"Not a single person in this castle will go unpranked. I might even go for Hogsmeade as well, set it up for the weekend, if I've got time," Percival grinned.
"Well, Andy, how may I be of assistance?"
"Call me Time. Meet me in the clocktower after dinner."
"See you then, Time."
~|~
"What about Ton Tounge Toffies? They could grow your tounge really–"
"Fred! Look." George cut his brother off, pointing to the Marauders Map. He had been looking for a secluded spot where they could do their planning whenever they wanted, rather than having to wait for the others to leave their dorm. Fred looked over to where his brother was pointing.
"What is it?" Fred asked, confused.
"Just look!" George's finger had hovered just over a space inside of the clocktower, one that was occupied by just a lone person. The label above their dot said 'Andromeda Clock' in curled script. Then something flickered next to her. It was gone in a blink, but reappeared a few moments later, only to disappear again. It was a second dot, and it took a couple of tries to catch the name on the label.
"'Percival Time,'" Fred read, "who the hell is Percival Time?"
"Fred, just think. Clock and Time, right? What if our rival is not one but two people? What if Time is these two people?"
"One or two people, it doesn't matter. The more pressing question is why the Map seems to be glitching this Percival person out." Georges eyes widened.
"The Map only shows people who are living, right? And it doesn't show animals. So what if Percival Time is an animagus?"
"Or, now this will probably sound crazy, what if he's dead? I mean, ghosts are stuck in between this world and the next. We already know that they can move on, but what if they can also move back? Back into the land of the living," Fred asked, looking at his twin. It, somehow, seemed to make as much sense to him as the animagus theory.
"I think, for the first time in our lives, it is time to volountarily go to Library," George responded, shuddering and disbelief seeping into his voice.
The Weasley Twins discovered that there were only seven listed animagi in the United Kingdom. None of them went by the name of Percival Time. They then checked the International Records. Still no Percival Time was to be found. George carried on searching for any hint of Percival Time, and not just in the animagi records. Days passed, and still no sign of him was to be found. The longer his twin brother looked, the more Fred became convinced in his ghost theory.
"Uh, Fred. I think I found him," George said, beckoning his brother over. Fred peered over his shoulder and his features moved into that of surprise and confusion as he read the contents of the page George had indicated. The book was titled 'Th' FirsÞ Familī̆se', a collection of stories, legends, and information about the thirty-two Original Familes. George had vaguely remembered his mother telling him about the first wizards and witches, so had gone back to the beginning. The boy had been called 'Time', after all. At first it was strange reading in Medieval English, but once he got the hang of it, he only had to look up a few words every now and again.
"So Percival Sīquār is, as legend states, the younger brother of Merlin. Sīquār is the Medival English for time. It says that he was killed by Slytherin's monster. We have proof, right here, that he existed one thousand years ago." George said quietly, indicating the page. "It could be a different person with the same name, or Percival Time could be a ghost. But it is the only lead we've got, so let's follow it."
Try as the Weasley Twins might, they could not locate a ghost by the name of Percival Time anywhere in the castle. It had been a fornight since George had seen Percival on the Map. Finally, Fred decided it was time to talk to the ghosts of Slytherin house.
"What do you want?" an irritated ghost asked when Fred approached him.
"Perce," the second ghost with him scolded, hitting the first lightly on the arm. Unlike all the other ghosts the twins had ever seen, these two were wearing the latest muggle clothes. George startled into curiosity when the ghost spoke; he had previously been bored, and on the brink of giving up.
"Are you Percival Time, by any chance?" Fred asked before George could open his mouth.
"Where did you learn that name?" The first ghost demanded suspiciously, glancing between them.
"A book," George answered.
"What book? I thought that name had been lost to history."
"'Th' FirsÞ Familī̆se'. In the chapter on the Sīquār Family. Or rather, as it is now known, the Time Family."
"And what led you to this book? It does not seem a modern publication if the title is anything to go by," the first ghost questioned, still suspicious.
"Are you or are you not Percival Time?" Fred asked, taking over from George, who had done most of the talking.
"Yes I am. Now why did you read that book?"
"We were looking for someone with that name. We knew they were either dead, or an animagus."
"Yes, but why?" George produced the Marauders Map from his pocket, and Fred shot him a concerned look.
"Just trust me, okay?" He muttered to his twin. George spoke to the ghosts. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." The map revealed itself, and he showed it to them. "This map shows all of Hogwarts, and every living human inside of it, so not animals or ghosts," George explained, "I was looking over it when I noticed something strange in the clocktower," he hovered his finger over the spot for a second. "There was a girl, Andromeda Clock, standing there. But the strange thing was that another person would flicker beside her, every so often. They had your name, so we came up with theories and did some research. And here were are."
"You saw me on a map that shows only living people. How is that possible!" Percival asked in disbelief.
"Well, ghosts move on, right? Into the next world, if it even exists. They're halfway between living and dead," Fred said in response, "I think that it might be possible for ghosts to move back into our world, the land of the living." Percival's eyes widened for a moment and whispered something to himself. "There was something else in the pages about you." Fred continued, looking at Percival nervously. "It said that you were killed by Slytherin's monster. Is it true?"
"Yes. As is the fact that Merlin was my elder brother."
"So you know what it is. The monster, I mean," George asked eagerly.
"Yes, I do," Percival paused for a moment, and a look of realisation briefly crossed his face. "How good are you at fighting? With swords, that is. Wands are useless in this regard."
"I can't say we've ever even seen an actual sword before," was their reply. Both boys were deeply confused.
"You could learn, given time, I suppose. Tell me, honestly, what would you be willing to do to save potentially hundreds of people in the future, and prevent Hogwarts from closing down."
"Die," Fred said instantly, but George was more hesitant.
"Well, it depends on the scenario, right? I mean, just think about what it would do to Mum, Dad, and the others. They would be heartbroken."
"I would give my life just to save one other's," Fred replied, certainty in his voice, "and I would kill a life just to save one other's. One other good life, that is."
"Who are you to decide good from bad? There are always two sides to a person," George questioned.
"Not always," Percival inputted quietly, "some people, though rare, are pure of heart. In some cases of soul as well."
"Aye, but most aren't. We might only see the bad, but they might see us as the evil ones."
"'There is both light and dark inside of us. What matters is the part we choose to act on.'" Percival's friend, who had been silent throughout the conversation, said, meeting George's eyes. "A friend once told me that, many years ago. He stopped me doing something that I would have regretted my entire existence. He was right. It is not just what we think, or feel, it is also what we do that makes us what we are. You'd be wise not to forget it."
"Then I ammend my statement," Fred said, "I would give my life for somebody whoose actions spoke of good, and I would also give it for someone whoose thoughts and emotions spoke of good, even if some of the things that they had done were evil in my eyes. I would kill for the same people. But I would also die trying to prevent more pain and suffering."
"There are some men a hundred years older than you that would never even consider such a thing," Percival said. "A wise friend of mine said that 'Bravery is often a result Idiocy and Stupidity, but a valuable and important quality to have, nonetheless.' If you truly mean what you say, then I have an offer. I know precisely how to kill Slytherin's monster, but I cannot do it myself."
"You need someone to use the sword of Godric Gryffindor, don't you. And you're a ghost, so you can't do it!" George exlaimed in realisation. Percival nodded and the Weasley Twins exchanged looks before grinning.
"Yes," they said together, "we'll do it. We'll kill the monster." Percival's friend turned to him.
"You are going to get two fourteen year-olds to kill a Basilisk. What is going through you mind?"
"In my one thousand years in this world, I have never, not once, found someone brave and able enough to kill that monster. These two boys are the best chance the world has."
"Well, and Harry Potter. He's got a good chance at killing that thing."
"Yes, but you're Weasleys, fighting is in your blood." Percival responded to George's comment dismissively.
"I'm sorry, what!" Fred exclaimed in surprise.
"Just read the chapter of 'Th' FirsÞ Familī̆se' about the Weasley Family. You'll find out all you need to know. Once you've read that, and please to it quickly, find me, and we can begin your training." The Weasley Twins nodded, and left the two ghosts behind them, conversing in whispers over their encounter as they walked down the corridors. Fred bumped into somebody and they both toppled over.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't–" Fred cut off when he saw the colour of their tie. She was a Slytherin in the year below them. The girl returned his glare and started gathering her things. Fred helped in silence.
"Come on, Andy. Perce said he would be down the next corridor, and we don't want to leave him waiting." Her friend said, helping her onto her feet. Fred looked after them in confusion for a moment before realising that he still had one of her books in his hand.
"Hey, you left your..." Fred said, waving the book in the air, and trailing off as he realised she couldn't hear him.
"Uh, Fred?" George said, picking up something that had fallen out of the book. It was a playing card: the Ace of Diamonds. George flipped it over and his eyes widened. "Is this what I think it is?"
"If it's what I'm thinking, then yes," Fred replied. The twins looked to each other.
"The Missing Shadow Card."
“No story is the same to us after a lapse of time; or rather we who read it are no longer the same interpreters.”
-- George Eliot