James Potter And The Morrigan Web (20 page)

I thought you weren’t going to take any classes here
, he mused at her with a shake of his head.

I changed my mind
, her expression seemed to say, as if she had read his thoughts.
It’s my prerogative. And I think you’re glad I did
…

James shook his head again, breaking eye contact with her. He glanced at Zane instead, who saw him and waved.

“Tomorrow at Durmstrang!” he called across the crowded hall, pointing at the enormous Clock over the head table.

James nodded vaguely. Tomorrow was indeed his first international class-- Practical Prophecy at Durmstrang-- but how did Zane know about that?

“Quidditch try-outs next Thursday,” Devindar Das announced, plopping into a seat further down the table. “You planning on showing up this year, James?”

James nodded enthusiastically. “I’ll be there.”

“We’ve been discussing your last year in America,” Devindar said, grabbing a dinner roll in each hand. “Clutchcudgel is a very different thing from Quidditch, you know.”

Graham grinned and jabbed James with an elbow. “You’re not going to try to stand up on your broom, are you?”

“Ha-ha,” James said. “You just wait and see.”

“Actually, it could be quite difficult to adjust,” said Aloysius Arnst, a greasy-faced seventh year boy seated across from Devindar. He adjusted his heavy spectacles fussily. “What with muscle memory and all. Your whole body is going to insist you’re piloting a skrim instead of mounted on a broom.”

Deirdre Finnegan frowned at Aloysius. “What’s
muscle memory
?”

Aloysius scoffed and leaned forward, obviously glad someone had asked. “It’s
only
the thing that lets you walk and use a wand at the same time. Your brain delegates most repetitive physical actions to your muscles so you don’t have to think about doing them all the time. Your body learns how to do them and your brain forgets about it.
That’s
muscle memory, and it’s a hard thing to control.”

“All right, already,” Deirdre said, rolling her eyes. “Sorry I asked.”

Devindar shook his head at Aloysius. “If James says he’s up for it, he’s up for it. But it
is
going to be a packed squad this year,” he added, turning back to James. “All of last year’s players are coming back except for Gretchen Thomas. You up for playing Beater?”

“James can play
any
position, I bet,” Cameron called from James’ other side. “You watch! He’ll be totally excellent!”

James smiled at the boy’s enthusiasm. For once, he appreciated it. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, Cam. I guess we’ll all see next Thursday, eh?”

Cameron nodded eagerly and gave James a hearty thumbs-up.

After dinner, Ralph found James in the entrance hall.

“Zane’s joining us at Durmstrang tomorrow,” he announced happily. “He’s signed up for Practical Prophecy, too.”

James greeted this enthusiastically, and then narrowed his eyes. “Is his purple-haired girlfriend coming along with him?”

“Nastasia?” Ralph blinked, “I don’t think so. Is she really his girlfriend, do you think?”

James shrugged. “Who can tell? We’ll ask him tomorrow. Either way, things are looking up.”

“Should be fun,” Ralph agreed. “You want to come down to the dungeon and study with me and Albus? You could get some pointers from Professor Heretofore about that supersonic hearing potion.”

“I’m not that desperate yet,” James sighed with some reluctance. “But perhaps next time. See you tomorrow, Ralph.”

For the first time during James’ school career, he was determined to stay on top of his homework rather than let it pile up around him as the weeks progressed. That evening, he established himself at a well-lit corner table in the common room and spread out his textbooks, ink and parchments.

“Well look at you,” Rose said appreciatively, joining him. “This isn’t like you at all, being all studious and such.”

“Maybe it’s totally like me and I just haven’t had a chance to show it,” James commented, flipping pages in his Ancient Runes textbook. “Maybe I’ve always been too distracted by all the other annoying things that always seem to be happening around me.”

“Maybe,” Rose shrugged. “Or maybe you’re just a naturally lazy student fighting a losing battle. We’ll see if you’re still here in a week.”

“Shouldn’t you be encouraging me instead of taking wagers on how soon I’ll throw in the towel?”

“Once more you’ve confused me with my mum,” Rose sniffed, plunking her Arithmancy textbook onto the table and pulling out a chair. “A galleon says you’re hopelessly behind by the time Professor Revalvier assigns the first Wiz-lit essay.”

“I want in on that action,” Scorpius commented, joining Rose at the table.

Lily jumped up from a nearby armchair with a grin. “Double or nothing he’ll be asking to crib your notes by Halloween, Rosie.”

“You’re all
very
encouraging,” James groaned, making a show of arranging his parchment and ink.

The truth of the matter was that he didn’t much feel like studying. Instead, he spent an inordinate amount of time straightening his parchments, signing his name to the inside covers of his new textbooks, turning to the proper pages, loading his quill, laying out his wand, adjusting the position of his chair, and generally not accomplishing anything meaningful.

Meanwhile, across the table, Scorpius had put on his glasses and somehow managed to adopt a coolly lazy pose while reading his Herbology textbook. He tapped his quill idly on the table. James stared at this and listened to the tiny
tap-tap-tap
.

With his own Ancient Runes textbook propped open before him, he found himself thinking of Nastasia. There was something irritatingly unsettling about her. What did Zane see in her? Anyone could see straight away that she was troublesome and infuriating. It was all wrapped up in her mad coloured hair, and the secretive half-smile she always seemed to be wearing, and the impish little glint in her heavily-made-up eyes, and even the glitter of that insufferable diamond nose stud. James glanced down finally at his textbook and was annoyed to see he had doodled her name onto the corner of the page. He scribbled it out with an annoyed grunt.

“Who’s Nastasia Hendricks then?” Lily prodded meaningfully, leaning over to peer at her brother’s textbook as he obliterated the name.

“Nobody,” he groused. “Some mad American girl that Zane’s taken up with.”

Lily cocked her head. “Jealous, are we?”

James blinked at her in horror. “What? No! She’s just… daft. And she’s trouble somehow. I just know it.”

Across the table, Rose nodded. “He’s jealous,” she agreed, meeting Lily’s eyes.

James shook his head with disgust. “She’s tricky and obnoxious,” he insisted, lowering his voice emphatically. “Ask Ralph. We caught her sneaking around here on first night, before any of the school vanishing cabinets were supposed to allow anyone through.”

Rose gave James a sceptical look. “She obviously had permission, then.”

“No way,” James insisted. “She was up to no good. And when she was done, she just popped right inside the Alma Aleron cabinet and vanished away.”

Lily shook her head dismissively. “Well that’s silly. The headmaster said the cabinets wouldn’t allow any students through until first day of class. It was a basic security spell and totally fool-proof.”

“I know what I saw,” James said. “Like I said, you can ask Ralph. Albus, too. We all saw her.”

Scorpius, James realized, was observing the conversation with narrowed eyes. “If she was here, Potter, then she was supposed to be. The spell is very specific. No person could pass through the cabinets until the proper time.”

“No
person
,” James repeated, pointing a finger meaningfully at Scorpius. “But what if she’s not human? What if she’s, like, a vampire or something? They have vampires at Alma Aleron, you know. One of them was a mate of mine last year-- Wentworth was his name. Not the most obvious vampire-looking bloke in the world, but still.”

Scorpius leaned back in his chair again, vaguely disappointed. “Ignoring the unlikelihood of that idea, you forget that vampires are, in fact, still human.”

“So?” James plowed on. “Maybe she’s an animagus or something! Maybe she changed into some animal when she was inside the cabinet, triggering the magic because she wasn’t actually a human anymore!”

“Nice try, James,” Rose said, nodding speculatively, tapping her chin with the feather of her quill. “Or maybe she’s a ghost. Or a boggart! They like cabinets, after all.”

“Oh, now you’re just being stupid,” James rolled his eyes and shut his textbook. “She’s trouble, that’s all I know. I should have taken Ralph up on his invite to go study with the Slytherins.”

“Let me know if you do,” Scorpius said lazily, closing his own textbook. “I may come with.”

He stood, gathered his things, and turned to leave. James watched him cross the common room and disappear up the stairs.

“For what it’s worth,” Lily whispered, leaning close. “I believe you, big brother. If you think she’s trouble, then perhaps she is. Either that, or you really do fancy her.” She bit her lips, stifling a giggle.

James nodded and rolled his eyes. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, little sister.” He gathered his own things, scooping them haphazardly into his knapsack and pushing away from the table. A minute later, he followed Scorpius up to the fourth years’ dormitory.

The tower room was dark and quiet, with only a few candles lit. Joseph Torrance lay sprawled on his four-poster in his clothes, wand in hand, his head resting on an open transfiguration textbook. James changed into his pyjamas and brushed his teeth in the little dormitory bathroom.

Tomorrow was his first international class at Durmstrang. That, James was quite sure, would prove interesting, especially with Ralph and Zane along for the ride. Thinking that-- and trying not to dwell on the obnoxious Nastasia Hendricks-- he threw himself onto his bed, propped his chin on his hands, and stared at the moon through the tall mullioned window. The window was unlocked and slightly open, allowing the freshness of the September evening to sift in, lightly lifting the curtains.

Tiredness began to weigh down James’ eyelids. He rolled over, kicked back his covers, and stared up at the ceiling.

A moment later, he frowned and sat up in bed. He glanced around, squinting, then fumbled for his dreaded glasses on the bedside table. Putting them on, he glanced around the darkened room again, suddenly suspicious.

Scorpius’ bed was empty. His books lay dumped onto it, but there was no sign of the boy himself.

“That little twonk!” James whispered to himself. “Where’s he off to?”

It wasn’t the first time Scorpius had been mysteriously missing from his bed. It had happened several times during James’ second year.

“What are you up to, you greasy git?” James muttered to himself, narrowing his eyes. He determined to wait up for the boy to return, and then to confront him and demand an explanation.

He scooted back and leaned against the headboard of his bed, crossing his arms and staring purposefully toward Scorpius’ empty bed. After a few minutes, however, his eyes began to droop. His previous late nights were catching up to him. He forced them open, only to feel them growing heavy again a minute later.

He decided it would be safe to simply rest his eyes a bit. He could still listen. He would hear anyone coming. Perhaps he would even recruit Graham’s help when he came up to the dormitory. That was probably the best plan. They could help keep each other awake.

James sat and listened, eyes closed.

Four minutes later, he was asleep. Next to him, the curtains lifted on a breath of breeze from the slightly open window. Somewhere far off, an owl hooted in the darkness.

3. A FAMILIAR FACE

Late the next morning, James and Ralph ran through the Great Hall, dodging between students, just as the enormous clock over the head table struck ten. Its deep gong filled the hall and bounced from the high windows.

“Curse Revalvier and her stupid wizlit class all the way on the other side of the castle,” James panted, angling toward the Durmstrang vanishing cabinet.