The Vault of Destinies (James Potter #3) (93 page)

James thought that the building had been transformed, somehow. It looked exactly the same as it always had—just a big blocky mansion, perhaps a little too symmetrical and rather lacking in embellishment—but now, seated atop Victory Hill, the things that had once made it boring now made it regal. It's the angle, he thought, looking up at it as he approached, smiling with pride and triumph.
This is where it was originally built, I'd bet my skrim on it. This is how it was
meant
to be
seen
…

This thought was interrupted, however, even as James put his foot on the first step of the main entrance. A very loud, very strange noise fell over the entire campus, shocking the crowd into silence. James glanced back, alarmed.

"What's tha—" Zane began, but was drowned out by the noise as it sounded again. It was a sort of metallic creak, long and ragged, followed by a rumble and a distant tinkle of breaking glass.

"Is that still the March of the Houses?" Ralph frowned, his eyes wide and nervous.

Next to him, Warrington shook his head. "No. That's coming from over there, just past Admin Hall."

"It's the Medical College," a voice cried from the crowd. "Something's wrong with it. Look out!"

The crowd began to move then in that alarming, sluggish way that only large groups of suddenly frightened people can move. They pushed and clambered, backing away from the corner nearest the beige bricks of the Medical College.

James looked, remembering what he had seen earlier, the small gathering in front of the Medical College's main entrance—Uncle Percy, Lucy, Izzy, and the group of Wizarding Court agents. The arbiter, Albert Keynes, had not been in sight, but he had to have been there somewhere.

"What have you done?" James asked under his breath, his eyes widening. He realized, with no real surprise, that the question wasn't addressed to Keynes.

As he watched, the lights of the beige building flickered, flashed, and then fell dark. Inside, monstrously, that awful noise sounded again, creaking and groaning rather like a beast in pain. And then, with no warning, most of the windows on the nearest side of the building exploded outwards.

Glass tinkled and flashed like confetti, spreading out and down into the nearby trees. Another noise followed—a sort of massive crumpling crash, and the face of the building
changed
. It sucked inward, distorting the shape of the structure as if it had been punched by a gigantic invisible fist. Bricks and broken masonry showered down into the bushes.

"It's imploding!" Zane announced, both frightened and amazed. "What could make it
do
that?"

Not a what
, James thought, but didn't say,
a who
.

Debris rained down from the face of the Medical College, but the noise fell away. The event seemed to have spent itself. A moment later, James sensed movement at the far edge of the crowd, closest to the distorted building. The gathering was parting, spreading away from some moving nucleus. James stood on tiptoes, trying to see who or what it was. From his vantage point atop Victory Hill, he could finally see.

It was, of course, Petra.

She was walking away from the Medical College, her face pale and calm. Accompanying her, one on each side, were Izzy and Lucy. Both younger girls looked around at the parting throng, their eyes bright in the darkness.

James broke away from his friends and moved down the footpath of Victory Hill, meeting Petra as she emerged from the crowd. No one had tried to stop her or even to question her. Perfect silence hung over the scene as everyone watched, inexplicably breathless.

Petra met James' eyes. She looked tired and drawn but otherwise perfectly normal. She was holding Lucy's right hand and Izzy's left. Slowly, she glanced aside at the broken statue where it lay nearby, glinting in the moonlight.

"Congratulations, James," she said weakly, and offered him a small affectionate smile. "You won."

A ripple of commotion moved over the crowd as realization dawned on those closest to the front: this was Petra Morganstern, the one who had attacked the Hall of Archives and cursed Mr. Henredon, the one who had been escorted to the Medical College unconscious, in preparation for her imprisonment.

"But they gave her the poison apple!" someone whispered harshly. "How'd she wake up?"

"She's a criminal," another rasped. "She's dangerous!"

And another: "Look what she did to the Medical College!"

A low clamor arose from the crowd, spreading to a rabble. Then, louder voices called out in commanding tones. James looked up and didn't know whether to be relieved or dismayed to see Chancellor Franklyn approaching, shouldering through the throng. Professor Jackson and Mother Newt were close behind, their faces grim. Inexplicably, Albus seemed to be following along in Professor Jackson's wake, his eyes shining with the excitement of it all.

"Ms. Morganstern," Franklyn announced as he broke through the crowd. "What are you doing? Return to the Medical College at once! Where are your guards?"

"I'm sorry, Chancellor," Petra said, and James heard in her voice that she truly was. "I'm sorry for everything that's happened. But I won't be going back. Perhaps I will be able to repair everything. But not now. There are more pressing matters."

"There are no more pressing matters, miss," Jackson proclaimed grimly. James saw that the professor had his wand in his hand, at the ready. Albus peered avidly around Jackson's elbow as he went on. "You are a convicted criminal. You understand that we cannot allow you to leave this campus."

"And you understand, I think, that there is no way you can stop me," Petra replied, almost apologetically.

Jackson raised his wand. Franklyn saw this and raised his as well, his face strained. He opened his mouth to speak, but Mother Newt interrupted him.

"What is it you need to do, my dear?" she asked, moving ahead of the two men and smiling curiously at Petra.

Petra looked aside, at James. "We have a journey to make," she answered. "Not far and yet, I think, very far indeed. Are you still with me, James?"

James nodded. "But how do you know about that? I never got a chance to tell you…?"

"I know because you know," she said, and James understood: the silver thread. It ran both ways. She may not have understood the plan before her arrest, but she did now. James could see it in her eyes as she looked at him.

"And what, if I may be so bold," Mother Newt asked, still smiling faintly, "is the purpose of this journey?"

James answered this time. "To find out the truth, ma'am."

Franklyn shook his head firmly. "No. I cannot allow this. Professor Newton, you do not understand what it is they intend to do. They mean to open the Nexus Curtain. You see that Apollo Mansion once again stands atop Victory Hill. Given the proper key, they may succeed in passing through into another dimension. The young lady means to escape into a realm where none will be able to follow her!"

"That's not true," James called out, moving to get in front of Petra. "Petra doesn't need to escape because she's not guilty!" He stopped and then glanced back over his shoulder, his brow knitted. "Er… are you?"

Petra met his gaze but didn't respond. At least, not with words.

"Chancellor," Mother Newt said, "as a matter of fact, I am inclined to disagree with you. I do not believe that Ms. Morganstern means to escape. I believe that she is telling us the truth. About everything."

"All evidence to the contrary, Professor," Jackson said, his wand still raised and pointed at Petra, "how could you possibly know this?"

Mother Newt's smile broadened as she continued to stare at Petra. "Call it
woman's
intuition,"
she said with low emphasis. "Besides, I suspect that she is right about one more thing: I don't believe we can stop her even if we wished to. She is…," Mother Newt paused and narrowed her eyes, "…
unique
."

"Professor Newton," Franklyn said, shaking his head again, making his square spectacles flash in the moonlight, "we cannot simply allow this woman to leave. She is a convicted prisoner of the Wizarding Court of the United States."

"But she
isn't
leaving, not technically," Mother Newt replied lightly. "If you are right, Chancellor, then Ms. Morganstern will simply be entering Apollo Mansion. She can still be said to be confined to the campus. None would deny that fact. Thus, I believe, we can be honestly said to have performed our duties as well as could be expected under the circumstances."

"Madam," Jackson began, but Mother Newt stopped him with a quick backward glare.

"Put down your wand, Theodore," she said, her voice suddenly steely. "Don't be a fool. We are teachers. This is, as they say, well above our pay grade."

"She is a prisoner of the Wizarding Courts," Franklyn insisted urgently, lowering his own wand.

"And we are not arbiters," Mother Newt answered, sighing. "Let the young lady do what she means to do. She will return. Won't you, dear?" she asked, addressing this last to Petra.

"If I can," Petra answered. "And I will submit to whatever consequences there are when I do. I am hoping that things will look a bit different by then. To all of us."

Franklyn's face was red with tension. Jackson appeared to be balanced precariously between raising his wand again and submitting to Mother Newt's suggestion.

"Thank you, Professor," Petra said to the older woman across from her.

"Please," Newt said, smiling in a grandmotherly fashion, "call me Mother Newt."

Petra turned to James again and then glanced aside toward Ralph and Zane, who had also approached, their eyes wide and grave.

"I guess I'll go get the unicorn horseshoe," Zane suggested in a hushed voice. "It's still buried under the Warping Willow…"

"No need," Petra said. She let go of Lucy's hand and reached into a pocket on the front of her drab dress. James would have sworn that the pocket was too small to contain anything so large, but when Petra withdrew her hand, she was holding the silvery horseshoe. It glowed faintly and a low murmur of awe and fear thrummed through the crowd.

"Dear God," a voice said faintly. James glanced back and saw Chancellor Franklyn staring up at the horseshoe, his face draining of colour.
He's figured it all out
, James thought.
Just like that. He
is one smart fellow
…

"I didn't expect we'd be doing this in front of the entire school," Ralph muttered, accepting the horseshoe as Petra handed it to him.

"It doesn't matter," Petra said, smiling wanly. She turned to Lucy and Izzy. "You both stay here. There's no need for you to come."

Izzy made no effort to let go of Petra's hand and James understood that Petra's suggestion was merely perfunctory. There was no way Izzy would consent to staying behind.

"I want to come," Lucy said, looking from Petra to James. "I want to see. I don't know anything about what's going to happen, but I'm in on it now, no matter what."

James expected Petra to forbid Lucy, but the older girl merely nodded. She looked back at Ralph, who still held the faintly glowing horseshoe.

"Let's do it," Zane announced stoically. "Let's get it over with."

Together, the three boys and three girls turned and walked up Victory Hill, approaching the corner of Apollo Mansion. The remainder of Team Bigfoot gathered silently around them, but at a careful distance. All of them could see the horseshoe shape engraved in the building's cornerstone, divided by the crack between the main house and the permanent foundation.

"What's this all about, James?" Jazmine asked quietly. James glanced back at her.

"It's… a long story," he answered after a moment. "But it's not a bad story. Petra is my friend. I have to try to help her."

"You'll tell us all about it when you get back, right?" Wentworth suggested, frowning slightly.

"Definitely," Ralph nodded, producing his large wand. Its lime-green tip glowed dimly in the moonlight.

"You want us to come too?" Gobbins asked. "Because we could, you know." The rest of the team, even the reserve players, murmured agreement.

"No," James replied, smiling, "but thanks."

"Whew," Norrick breathed. "Good luck, then. Wherever you're going, and whatever you're gonna do when you get there, good luck."

Mukthatch let out an encouraging woof.

Ralph turned around and held the horseshoe up, measuring it against the shape carved into the conjoined cornerstone.

"Petra," James asked quietly, turning to look at her, "what happened back there, in the Medical College? What happened to Keynes?"

Petra met his gaze thoughtfully. "He's still alive," she answered simply. James sensed her thoughts and sensed that this was the truth. It wasn't
all
of the truth, he knew, but for now, it was enough.

He moved a step closer to her so that no one else would hear. "Is it true, Petra?" he whispered. "Are you a… a sorceress?"

Her eyes hadn't left his. "Yes," she mouthed, and shrugged faintly. Tears stood in her eyes, shining dully. She tried to smile, but it faltered.

James nodded. For now, there was nothing more to say.