Chapter 5

The fireplace fire had dwindled down to mere embers by the time the Pevensies and Professor Plummer had finished clarifying what had transpired. That night, despite it still being September, the wind battered the castle walls and crept through the corners of that secluded area within the castle. But around the embers, the atmosphere, though tense, was warm.

Edmund's eyelids were getting heavy, but a greater urgency weighed on him. He sat up slightly on the sofa.

"So, if I've understood correctly," began the Slytherin, "what the Dark Lord wants to know is how Digory and you managed to travel between worlds."

"Exactly," Polly said.

"But you... don't remember that detail of your story," Edmund continued with a heavy heart.

"Not at all, it's completely erased," Polly said, "but I believed..."

"That the professor had told us how," Susan finished.

"Well, he didn't," Peter said nervously. "He never went into detail about how you traveled."

"We thought Narnia simply called to you, and you answered," Lucy said. "If only we could choose to return..."

"We were there at the beginning, in Aslan's song," Polly said. "We traveled through a different means. It had to do with Digory's uncle."

"And the wardrobe? What happened to the wardrobe?" Susan asked.

"Digory destroyed it, or hid it... he never told me," the new professor said.

"Anyway, the wardrobe doesn't work if Narnia doesn't call you," Lucy said.

"The big question is," Peter said, "we don't have all the information; we're missing a key piece... but what about Voldemort? Does he have the means to obtain that information?"

The five fell silent for several seconds, with only the sound of the wind as their backdrop. Polly turned her gaze back to the dwindling fire, lost in thought.

"Andrew Ketterley, Digory's uncle," the old woman said in a reminiscent tone, "he was a terrible man. Obsessed with two things: pure blood and the existence of other worlds. Specifically, how to travel between them."

"That was never told to us by the professor," Susan said.

"He thought that a Muggle-born was the best option for an experiment," the old woman said. "I can't remember how it happened, but he deceived me... and I traveled."

"What happened to him?" Edmund asked with anger. "With the professor's uncle?"

"After meeting Aslan, he never strayed again," she said. "He put the matter aside until he died years later. There was a real change in him; he didn't seem to care about blood purity anymore."

"No one remains indifferent to Aslan," Lucy said with a smile.

Polly smiled and nodded as she stroked the girl's hair. Lucy smiled back.

"Did the professor have more family?" Susan asked. "Was it Andrew who discovered the secret? The existence of other worlds?"

"The secret came from his godmother, Mrs. Lefay. Everyone thought she was crazy, but she managed to convince Andrew to believe her before she died."

"Another loose end," Edmund said, holding his head in his hands.

"His parents and Letitia," Polly continued, "Digory's mother and his aunt. I don't think they ever learned the truth."

Polly smiled as she looked back at the fire.

"Mabel, his mother, was a great woman," she said with nostalgia. "She never minded being a Muggle-born. I still remember how she used to sing to us... She almost died but was saved by an apple from Narnia. A miracle from Aslan."

"And what about Professor Kirke's father?" Edmund asked, intrigued.

"Let's just say he loved his wife very much; it was impossible not to. He also cared a lot about Digory, but... he was obsessed with blood purity. He could only visit their house when he was traveling."

"That's terrible," Lucy said.

"Then there was Andrew and Mabel's sister," Polly continued. "Letitia. When I first met her, she was a tough woman with many strong prejudices. The only Gryffindor in a long line of Slytherins. At first, she treated me with disdain when Mabel allowed me into the house, but I think, over time, she grew to truly care for me. We had a similar character."

"And what happened to all of them?" Peter asked with impatience.

"Digory's parents died, Letitia did too, unmarried. They died of old age."

"So who will inherit the Kirke mansion?" Edmund asked. "All of this happened there, right?"

"In their London house, but it was sold," she said.

"But what about the documents?" Edmund asked. "There might be family documents that reveal what we want... or rather, what Voldemort wants to know."

"That's true," Peter said. "We need to go there right away!"

"Calm down, Peter," the old woman said. "Remember Dumbledore's rules."

"I'm tired of following rules," Peter said. "I'm not a child!"

"For him, you are," Polly said in a calm tone. "I know it's tough, Peter, but we're facing one of the darkest wizards of all time."

"Those documents will be hidden," Susan said, placing her hand on her brother's shoulder. "Do you think the professor would erase Polly's memory to leave them at Voldemort's mercy? Most likely, that mansion is protected in every way possible, including the Fidelius Charm."

Polly nodded at that last comment, causing Peter to breathe again, and Susan smiled with a hint of pride. Peter slumped on the sofa next to the old woman.

"I'm sorry, Polly; it's just that..." 

"Take it easy, young man," she said, reaching out to hold his hand. "You and I are very much alike... we protect our own to the end. You haven't done anything wrong."

Peter smiled at Professor Plummer, nodding in agreement with her statement. Polly turned to look at the tired faces of the rest of the siblings and decided it was time to end this clandestine meeting for today.

"All right, this is what we're going to do. And I say this as a teacher," she said, half-laughing and giving the sofa a gentle but firm tap. "Now, you're going to bed. I'll find out who inherited the Kirke house. I'll alert Dumbledore to keep an eye on the area without giving the Order any more information. And while we're here, we'll continue to talk and follow the clues we find, agreed?"

The Pevensie siblings had little to do but say yes to Polly's firm resolve. After hugging her one last time, the four siblings headed down the dark hallway, praying not to run into any professors along the way.

Susan and Peter headed towards the towers, while Lucy and Edmund descended the stairs to the lower part of the castle. After bidding farewell, Edmund made his way to the common room. The snake opened the wall passage with just a whisper of the password.

As he descended the spiral staircase into the central room, yawning, something caught his attention. A solitary figure was sitting by the fireplace, holding a piece of paper and with teary eyes.

"Everything all right, Parkinson?" he asked in

 a puzzled tone.

"Have you ever cared, Pevensie?" she replied brusquely.

Without further insistence, Edmund rolled his eyes and advanced to the boys' area, only glancing back once more before disappearing into the winding hallway. Yes, he hadn't imagined it; the slight tone of terror in the sixth-year student's voice. She trembled slightly in front of the fireplace, but it wasn't from the cold. Something terrified her, something kept her awake late at night, and it didn't seem to be anything good.

He didn't say anything else and continued down the hallway to his bed, quickly forgetting that nocturnal scene, which would undoubtedly return to his mind later. He wasn't aware at the moment, but his reflection on the first night of the school year had not been misguided. The war had begun, and the first shot was for the Slytherins.

"Come on, Pevensie," Astoria's voice impatiently pulled him from his reverie. "Don't you want to go to Hogsmeade? Let's go!"

Edmund slowly opened his eyes, still weighed down by the echoes of his deep slumber. The fourth-year boys' dormitory was already empty, and on the other side of the door, the noise of students could be heard.

"What time is it?" he asked, clutching his pillow to his head.

"Half-past eleven," Astoria replied. "Can I know where you disappeared to yesterday that you're so tired?"

"That's classified information," he said, yawning.

"That doesn't make you any more interesting, Ed," the girl replied, rolling her eyes. "Get changed in five minutes, or I'll levitate you to Hogsmeade myself!"

Edmund yawned again and clumsily got out of bed. Ten minutes later, still with wet hair from the shower, he met Astoria at the entrance of the common room.

Astoria was the perfect blend of sweet and grumpy. During the first few minutes of their walk, she didn't say a word, annoyed that Edmund had taken longer than agreed, or rather, ordered by her, to leave the common room, and he hadn't apologized. But as they made their way to the castle doors, her expression relaxed, and her face shifted from anger to boredom.

"Have you heard about the new professor?" the girl asked with curiosity.

Edmund turned to look at her. Astoria Greengrass was the perfect blend of Slytherin and Ravenclaw. She not only thirsted for knowledge, but actively sought it out. She was highly intuitive and observant, and nothing escaped her.

"Does she have anything to do with the fact that you overslept?" she inquired.

"Greengrass, sometimes you're so clever it's unbearable," he teased with a cheerful tone.

"Thank you, Ed," she laughed. "But don't avoid my question."

"She's a family friend," he replied. "Dumbledore has chosen her for the Muggle Studies position."

"Is she part of the Order?" she asked, intrigued.

"She's just here to fill a vacancy, don't overthink it, Astoria."

"Well..." she said, not entirely convinced, "I was considering dropping that subject, but I'll give the Pevensie family friend a chance."

"I've always been surprised that you take that class," Edmund said.

"You should join me; I'm the only fourth-year Slytherin who does it," she said, "although I'll have to drop it next year to avoid it showing up on my O.W.L. transcript."

"Why?" Edmund asked.

"What do you think Mr. Greengrass would say if he saw one of his daughters enrolled in a Muggle Studies class?" she asked rhetorically. "Professor Burbage used to omit the grades sent home to keep me out of trouble, but the Ministry exams are official."

Edmund didn't say anything more about it. He was just grateful that, in his family, despite being predominantly what Astoria's father would call "pure-blood," there was no such view on blood purity. Muggles were just as deserving of respect as wizards. His family had been living this way for generations. That's why the Pevensie name was no longer on the Sacred Twenty-Eight list. But for them, that expulsion was a historic fact in the family that filled them with pride.

"I'm sorry you have to live like this," Edmund said sincerely.

"Well, they love me, don't they?" Astoria replied. "I just don't want to be like them... I don't want to make bad decisions."

"Do they really hate Muggles so much?" Edmund asked.

"Actually, I think they don't," she said. "They're just scared. My family's environment... all their deals, their businesses, it's like a big web. But I think they're afraid of thinking differently and having that web unravel."

"I understand what you're saying," he said. "It's like the tension in the common room..."

"I've noticed," she said. "I hoped our generation would be different, you know? That we could break free from so much darkness. But the war has returned, and going against your own, the ones you love... it's a tough task."

"Yesterday, I ran into Pansy Parkinson in the early morning," Edmund said, recalling the scene. "I think she was crying."

"It might be because of one of those stupid boys she dates. Parkinson isn't known for making good choices in that regard," Astoria said. "There are rumors that something happened this summer with McLaggen, the seventh-year Gryffindor... can you imagine?"

"No," Edmund said. "I mean, not that I can't imagine it, but I... she seemed scared, not just hurt."

Astoria fell silent for a few seconds, and she had that specific expression that made Edmund know she was really starting to think about what her friend was saying.

"Do you think she's hiding the Dark Mark?" Astoria asked.

"What...?" Edmund asked.

"Do you think she's one of them?" she said.

"Yes, yes, I know what you mean," he said. "I just can't imagine snobby Pansy Parkinson being a Death Eater. I thought she'd spend her life gossiping until she became Mrs. Malfoy someday."

"Ugh, there are fates worse than death," Astoria said with a heavy sigh. "In that case, I'd join the Death Eaters too."

Edmund didn't encourage further conversation on the topic. Astoria continued to develop theories until Edmund finally managed to steer the conversation toward a less thorny subject. Pansy Parkinson could be cruel, she could be full of prejudice. But a Death Eater? No, that could only be a figment of her friend's imagination, nothing more.

Susan waited under the stairs of the common room for several minutes while the Ravenclaw students descended from the tower and joined the stream of Gryffindors passing through the hallway toward the bridge. She scanned the heads, looking for Henry's dark red hair, but he hadn't arrived yet.

Despite not knowing why she had agreed to the Gryffindor's invitation, Susan had found herself in front of the mirror that morning, anticipating the moment. She had braided her hair to the side, allowing a few strands to escape on either side of her head. She used to wear her hair this way in Narnia, not for the balls or the everyday life in the palace, but for her long horseback rides and hunting. It was how she used to wear her hair before accidentally crossing back to her world the first time.

She tried not to think about it too much. Thinking about Narnia often caused too much pain. She missed so many things about that magical place.

"Where are you headed all dressed up, Pevensie?" a familiar voice asked from behind.

Anthony Goldstein was standing a few steps above her, with his arm resting on the railing. He smiled at the girl cheerfully.

"To Hogsmeade," she said nervously. "What about you?"

"The same place," he said with a smile. "Shall we go together, or are you waiting for someone?"

Susan looked down the hallway again before responding. She looked at Anthony with a nervous smile before saying, "I have plans with a Gryffindor friend."

"Ah! Don't worry," he said, trying to appear indifferent. "Maybe next time."

"I'm sorry, really," she said with a smile. "Next time, for sure."

"Okay, I'll count on it," he said, walking down the steps and lightly brushing her shoulder with his before turning to look at her. "Don't break any rules without me..."

"I'd never even think of it," she said, now with a genuine smile.

"Very well," he said, also smiling. "See you later, then."

Susan nodded, smiling at the boy. He turned around a couple of times before waving goodbye and disappearing at the end of the hallway. The girl watched him the entire way, unable to suppress a sigh escaping from her slightly parted lips.

"Hello, Pevensie," Henry's voice said from behind her. "Am I late?"

"No, I came down early," she said, turning to smile at him.

"Well, I would have felt terrible making you wait," he said.

Susan smiled at the boy with affection. He arrived with wet and disheveled hair, indicating that he had rushed. Nevertheless, his slightly unkempt appearance was offset by his wide smile. Henry Davies undoubtedly radiated warmth.

Realizing that Susan was looking at him, the Gryffindor started to straighten his shirt and ran his hand through his hair. Susan smiled even more at the scene.

"Shall we?" she said. "I want to try those Honeydukes sweets everyone's talking about."

"You've never tried them before?" Henry asked. "I love the Levitating Sherbet Lemon."

"I've only been to Hogsmeade once, with my parents, and the shop was closed," Susan said. "The last time I was at school, I was in second year, and we hadn't gone on a school trip yet."

"So, do I have the honor of accompanying you on your first visit to the village?" he said with a playful bow.

Susan couldn't help but smile at the scene. It brought to her mind the memories of countless knights who had knelt before her. All the neighboring kingdoms filled the castle with suitors seeking the hand of the queen in marriage. Only one in that room had managed to capture her heart.

"The honor will be mine," she replied, with echoes of the past resonating in her tone.

Henry Davies returned her smile with a broad and sincere one that nearly made the girl blush. This Gryffindor was undoubtedly very pleasant company.