"So you and James Potter are responsible for this, eh?" Debellows said gruffly. "He's the son of the Ministry's Head Auror, is he not? I should have known he'd be trouble. I understood that there were three of you, though."
"Well," Rose quavered, "there are, in a manner of speaking. I guess there's no point in hiding it anymore. You'll see for yourself soon enough."
As Debellows and Rose passed Scorpius, she gave him a wilting look. Scorpius grinned crookedly.
As they swept on, Albus glared angrily at Scorpius. "Why would you do that to my brother?"
"Is this how you repay me for my warning? I guess blood is indeed thicker than water, isn't it?"
"Why, Scorpius?" Tabitha asked. "You're only making things harder for yourself with your housemates."
"My housemates are a bunch of arrogant sissies," Scorpius growled. "They don't have the spine to learn real magic. It became obvious to me last week that you lot are the ones I need to partner with. Yes, yes," he said, raising his hand as Philia opened her mouth, "I'm a Gryffindor. What do names mean? If names meant everything, little Albus would have to duel to the death with both of you. Slytherins and Potters have always been mortal enemies, haven't they? Obviously, we're past that, and for good reason. I'm not asking to be a member of your silly Fang and Talons club. I am merely suggesting that perhaps we start a new club, and perhaps it meet in the Slytherin casting range, where we can feel free to practice whatever we wish in secrecy."
"And you'd deign to teach us?" Philia demanded, smiling grimly.
"I think not," Scorpius answered. "The fact is I'd not be able to attend regularly. Besides, I imagine it as more a group practice session. We can all learn from one another, and no one will be there to tell us what we shouldn't know. I would, however, require access to the Slytherin quarters. It seems like small payment for today's favor. Besides, as you implied last week, Tabitha, my family does have a rather long Slytherin history."
"You little rat," Philia said. "All this just because you hate that you've been made a Gryffindor."
"Having a ring key does not make you a member of Slytherin House," Tabitha said, tilting her head and smiling. "No Gryffindor can be allowed free access to our quarters. However… I suspect we can come to an agreeable arrangement."
"That's all I ask," Scorpius answered brightly. "And now I should be running along. It will look rather suspicious if I am not there when the hammer falls on James' little club. We'll chat soon."
Tabitha, Philia, and Albus watched Scorpius turn and trot off in the direction that Debellows had led Rose.
A few minutes later, Scorpius passed the closed doorway of the gymnasium. He could see through the pebbled glass window that it was dark inside. He stopped and listened. A moment later, he heard voices further down the corridor, echoing. He followed the sounds, turning left at the next passage. It opened onto a high hall with windows on one side. James and Rose stood with Debellows in the center of the marble floor. They were all staring straight up, craning their necks. Debellows had his wand upraised, aiming it carefully. Overhead, Ralph hung by his ankle, suspended high in midair.
"We were just trying it out," James explained. "It's called the Levicorpus jinx. I didn't know it'd take a counter-jinx to get him back down again."
"Hold on, Ralph!" Rose cried, wringing her hands in a parody of worry.
Debellows shook his head disgustedly. "This is exactly the reason I do not teach defensive magic to younger years," he snapped. "No concept whatsoever of the consequences. It's a good thing you didn't accidentally learn the Bat-Bogey Hex. That was a favorite in my day. Liberacorpus!" Debellows flicked his wand and Ralph spun upright. A moment later, he drifted clumsily to the floor.
"Whoa," Ralph said shakily. "Dizzy."
"I apologize, Professor Debellows," Scorpius called from the doorway. "It's my fault. I learned that jinx from my grandfather. I should've known better than to show anyone how to do it. I've certainly learned my lesson."
"I should hope so," Debellows said gruffly. "If I was a less gracious man, I'd subtract points from whatever your houses are, but I'll take your word for it that it'll never happen again." He pocketed his wand and turned to Rose. "You interrupted a perfectly good pipe, I'll have you know, young lady. But never mind. Are there any other magical mishaps I might address before I return to my quarters?"
All four students shook their heads enthusiastically.
"Thank you, Professor," Rose said breathlessly. "It really is a pleasure to see someone of your stature at work."
"Well," Debellows replied, smoothing his robes, "of course, I understand. Good evening, students. And like I said, don't call me 'Professor'. The name's Kendrick."
"Kendrick," Rose said, as if enthralled with the very syllables. "Thank you, sir. Goodnight."
When Debellows finally left, Scorpius came alongside Rose, James, and Ralph. "I think I'm going to be sick," he said.
"I'll say," Ralph agreed. "You were supposed to act appreciative, Rose. Not like you worshipped the ground under his feet."
"It was nothing," Rose replied as if she'd been complimented. "I mastered that technique years ago with my father."
James grinned. "You're a little scary, Rose. Come on! Let's get to the gym. Scorpius, how'd it go with Tabitha, Philia, and Albus?"
"As well as planned," Scorpius said, shrugging. "They believed my story the moment they saw Debellows march past. They won't be back."
James reached the door to the gym first. He yanked it open and stepped inside, lighting his wand. In the darkness, the club members sat in groups, whispering excitedly. They looked up as the four entered.
"All right," James said, holding his wand over his head. "Hi, everybody. Like I said a few minutes ago, we have an announcement today. After last week, there was a lot of talk about learning the three Unforgivable Curses. Scorpius is the teacher, so what we learn is up to him. But before we get to anything really scary powerful, we're going to get better at what we do know, and spend some time practicing the techniques Professor Debellows has been showing us in D.A.D.A."
"Why in the world would we do that?" Nolan Beetlebrick said, standing up. "I thought the whole point of this club was to learn the stuff he wasn't teaching us."
Scorpius answered, "The point of this club is to learn defensive techniques and become the best at them as we can. Some of you just want to learn a few quick incantations and curses? Be my guest. But if you think you'll be able to duel half as well as the rest of us after we've mastered the kind of skills Debellows showed us the other day, I think you'll end up very disappointed."
Ralph surprised James by speaking up. "I know it isn't very exciting to practice all the drills and exercises Debellows has showed us. That's why we're going to keep working on the spells and magic too. But James is right. We have to learn it all together. It's the only way we'll really be the best we can be. But maybe some of you aren't happy with that. If so, remember it's just a club, not a class. You can go anytime you want."
Nolan Beetlebrick was still on his feet. He saw that everyone was looking at him. He shuffled his feet a little. "So who's going to be teaching us this Artis Decerto stuff? Him?" he exclaimed, pointing at Scorpius. "I doubt his grandfather taught him any of that."
"No," James said, glancing at Scorpius. "We have another teacher for that. He didn't learn it himself, but he'll be working alongside someone who knows it very well. Together, they'll be leading that part of the club from now on."
"Yeah?" Beetlebrick said, putting his hands on his hips. "And who's that?"
"Me," a voice answered. Beetlebrick jumped and took a step backwards as two ghosts flitted through the wall next to him. "And her."
James smiled as Cedric moved into the center of the room, emanating his own soft light in the dark space. Next to him, the Grey Lady floated gently.
Beetlebrick sat down on the floor again, staring in awe at Cedric and the tall, pale woman.
Rose cleared her throat. "Maybe it'd be helpful if you expl
ained a little background, Cedric."
Cedric glanced back at Rose and nodded. "Of course," he said to the assembled club members. "I'm Cedric Diggory, and I guess you all know who she is. This is the Grey Lady. She says she'd prefer that I not tell any of you her real name. But the point is she knows Artis Decerto. Apparently, it was common for ladies to learn the defensive arts in her time, and… well, her mother thought it might be very helpful for her to be very well-trained."
The Grey Lady spoke in a thin, faraway voice. "I was tutored under the very best teacher of martial magic in the world. He confided that I was one of his most gifted pupils."
Most of those in the room had seen the Grey Lady flitting morosely around the halls, but few had ever heard her voice. Graham Warton raised his hand tentatively. "Who was it that taught you Artis Decerto, Miss?"
The Lady looked at him and tilted her head slightly. "My father. He invented the art."
"Look," Beetlebrick said, "I don't mean any disrespect, but I have to ask. If you were all that great at dodging spells and curses like Debellows did the other day, then how did you end up getting killed so young?"
The Grey Lady seemed unperturbed by Beetlebrick's question. She opened her ghostly shawl, revealing the front of her dress. An ugly knife wound stained the dress, still as red as the day it had been inflicted. "As you can see," she answered, "it wasn't a spell that killed me."
James leaned toward Rose. "You've got your wish, Rose," he whispered. "We've got a woman teaching us Artis Decerto after all."
"I'm really enjoying the new stuff we're learning in Defence Club, James," Cameron Creevey said as he followed James down the stairs late Saturday morning. "Whoever would have thought that the Grey Lady had a seventh-degree mastery of martial magic! She always seemed so calm and feeble, didn't she? And with Cedric Diggory's ghost helping her teach, I mean, wow! Who would have thought it!"
"Yeah, Cameron," James said, walking as fast as he could. "I'm glad you like the club."
They passed a group of older students by the main doors, all of whom were dressed in jeans and jumpers or jackets, babbling excitedly. Professor McGonagall stood at the head of the queue, accepting and inspecting the small parchments each student handed her.
"Yes, yes, Mr. Metzker, no point in making a show of it," she said as Noah flourished his permission slip. "Off you go. And if I catch you with any more of those awful Peruvian ballistic beans, it'll be more than deducted House points, I can assure you. Who's next?"
"Pity you can't come, James," Damien called as James pushed past the queue, heading out into the courtyard. "Hogsmeade weekends being only for third-years and older, you know." He waggled his eyebrows and grinned. Sabrina elbowed him in the stomach.
"I wish I could go to Hogsmeade," Cameron said wistfully, staring after the departing students. "Still, I'm sure there's a very good reason younger years can't go."
"Yeah," James said, stopping at the courtyard gate and turning to the younger boy. "Well, anyway, Cameron, I'm sure you have other things to do today. Don't let me keep you."
Cameron shook his head happily. "No, actually, I don't have a thing to do. I was sort of hoping that—"
"James!" Rose called, panting as she ran across the courtyard to meet him. "Ralph's coming. He insisted on borrowing a Sneakoscope from Trenton Bloch, the blighter. That warning from Zane's sure got him on high alert, especially today, since… er. Hi, Cameron."
"Hi, Rose," Cameron grinned cheerfully. "What's going on?"
Rose glanced at James, frowning a little. "Oh. What? Nothing. You know. Saturday this-and- that. Same as usual. Boring, really."
"What's your friend Ralph need a Sneakoscope for?"
James put his arm around Cameron, trying to steer him back toward the front entrance. "You know, Cameron, today would be a great day to practice up on some drills and exercises. The gym's open all day. I bet you could even find some other club members to join you."
"Well, why don't you three join me?" Cameron said, ducking under James' arm. "Since you don't have any plans yourselves."
Rose cleared her throat. "It isn't that we don't have any plans exactly, Cameron. They're just, er…"
"Secret," James interjected, at exactly the same moment that Rose said, "Boring."
"Secret, er, boring plans," James went on, nodding. "Club stuff. Scheduling and counting members and… and…"
"And planning field trips!" Rose added, brightening.
"We're going to go on a Defence Club field trip?" Cameron asked, furrowing his brow.
"Sure," James replied. "It's a secret, so keep it to yourself. But we're going to go to, er…"
"Er," Rose chimed, "the Forbidden Forest, with Hagrid, to practice Artis Decerto against some…"
"Some centaurs!" James supplied. He nodded. "Yeah, that sounds about right."
Cameron looked vaguely puzzled. "Centaurs know Artis Decerto?"
"Sure," Rose said confidently. "They practically invented it. I mean, they didn't really invent it, obviously, but practically… Anyway, it's a big secret, so don't tell anyone about it yet, all right?"
"Hey, everybody," Ralph said as he approached, shouldering his satchel. "We're all ready to go—"
"To Hagrid's," James interrupted, nodding at Ralph fervently. "To talk about the field trip. Yeah, I suppose he'll be expecting us any minute. So, anyway, see you around, Cameron."
Cameron looked at James, Rose, and Ralph in succession, his eyes slightly narrowed, then he smiled cheerfully. "Yeah! Sure. I'll keep it a secret. I've never seen a centaur in person. That'll be excellent!"
"Centaurs?" Ralph said, turning to James. "You never said anything about—"
"Cool!" James interrupted. "Yeah, thanks, Cam. Hush-hush, right? See you later."
Cameron nodded and backed away. Finally, he turned and headed back toward the castle entrance.
"What in the world was all that about?" Ralph asked as the three students ran around the corner of the gate.
"James' secret admirer," Rose said. "We had to come up with something fast so he wouldn't tail us around all day."
"Do you think you can remember the secret knot?" James asked, changing the subject.
Rose answered, "Gennifer marked it with a spot of green paint. It looks like moss unless you get up close. Should be pretty easy to find if you know what to look for."
As they crested the hill and came in sight of the Whomping Willow, James found a long stick beneath a birch. He smiled, showing it to Ralph and Rose. Rose nodded seriously.
"You're on secret knot duty, then, James," she said. "Just give it a good poke. We'll follow you into the entrance between the roots once the Willow goes still."
James gripped the stick and approached the tree. The Willow seemed to sense his intent. It reared slightly, creaking its roots, and whipping its thinnest branches threateningly.
"Stay low," Ralph called. "You'll need to get just inside the shadow of the tree to reach the knot. The big branches can't reach you, but those little green ones might if you're too high."
James hunkered as low as he could until he was crawling forward on his hands and knees. The tree swished and groaned over him. A whip-like green branch swung at him, trying to wrench the stick out of his hand. It missed, but James felt the breeze of its passage.
"Careful," Rose cried in a thin voice. "Just right there! Slowly!"
James reached as far as he could, staring down the length of the stick at its wavering tip. He could see the spot of green paint applied earlier in the term by Gennifer Tellus. This close up, he could see that she'd painted it in the shape of a tiny smiley face. The Whomping Willow creaked ponderously and James felt its shadow leaning over him. He lunged and poked with the stick, striking the knot dead-on.
"That's it!" Rose cried. James heard both Ralph and Rose running forward. He scrambled up, slipping on the wet grass. Clumsily, he hurled himself forward into the dark crack between the Willow's massive roots. He landed with a thud in the mossy hollow beneath the tree.
A moment later, he heard and felt the entrance of Ralph and Rose. They landed on either side of him, barely missing him in the damp darkness. James laughed in relief. He began to climb to his feet when a fourth shape hurtled through the entrance, bowling directly into James. A knee bounced off his chest, knocking the wind out of him. There was a chorus of angry and surprised shouts.
"What the—" Ralph cried, scrambling up and snatching after the intruder. He caught the figure by the collar just as Rose whipped out her wand.
"Lumos!" she cried, holding it up.
The wandlight sprayed over the skinny shape of Cameron Creevey, held suspended by Ralph's grip. The boy had dirt and bits of bark on his face. He grinned gamely.
"Hi, guys," he said, panting. "Some field trip, eh?"
15. Out of Hogsmeade
"I couldn't help it," Cameron said as the four traipsed along the length of the tunnel. "I just knew you were up to something exciting! I saw you heading out toward the Whomping Willow and I remembered reading that there had been a secret passage there, back in our parents' day. They say it was all sealed off after the battle, but still, I knew you three could find a way through if you wanted. So I followed along. I was about to call out to you, but then the tree stopped moving and you all ran toward it! I did the first thing that came to mind and ran after you. It was a near thing too! The Willow came back alive just as I got under it! It swiped at me and barely missed!"
"Stupid, lazy tree," Ralph muttered.
"Cameron, that was a very reckless thing to do," Rose said reprovingly, still holding her wand aloft to light the way.
"Well, you can't blame me, can you?" Cameron protested shrilly. "I've read all the Harry Potter stories at least a dozen times! When I saw you sneaking off, I knew you were going on some big secret adventure! I just wanted to see it in person. I promise I won't get in the way!"
"Those stories are all rubbish, Cameron," James grumbled, not really believing it. "My dad says that he couldn't even read them all the way through. They make it all seem like an exciting romp, but it was mostly really scary and people dying and buckets of dumb luck."
James Potter and the Curse of the Gatekeeper Page 41