~The Big Five at Hogwarts: The Triwizard Tournament~ *Sequel*

Chapter 10

Jack

"Tooth, there's something I need to do," I tell her and head towards the exit of the Champions' tent.

I am about to leave when I realize that I am still clutching the ice bubble. It's doesn't even feel cold in my hands, so I've forgotten. I need to figure out the Second Task's clue, but I don't have time to right now.

"Tooth, could you leave this thing with my friend Hiccup, the gamekeeper who was just here? He'll put it in my dorm, and maybe solve it for me on the way!" I grin and leave the sphere in her small hands.

"Oh, sure." The girl smiles understandingly. "Oh, and Jack!" She stops me. "The information from the memory spell I used on you doesn't do any good; I asked my father and he told me that the records of your family ended after they moved out of Colorado." After a moment, I nod, Then I sprint away silently.

So finding my sister won't be as easy as we first thought. Great.

Then I remember what I have to do.

"Dougal 1935," I recite the Headmistress' password I remember from Hiccup and step into the empty elevator-like passage, letting the gargoyle statue move out of the way. Quickly, a sleek tabby cat pads in next to me as if it belongs there. I raise an eyebrow, but try to ignore it.

Once I'm upstairs, the cat slips in through McGonagall's doors as they shut behind it. I wait in front of those huge doors, suddenly nervous. I'm coming up here without setting up a meeting, and the Headmistress is not someone I want to get mad.

"Just come in, Mr. Frost." Her sharp voice freezes my fist in midair.

"How'd you know it was me?" I smile nervously as the doors open to the sharp-eyed woman sitting at her desk.

"I see more than you may think, Jack."

My eyes widen at her mysterious smile. Is there some magical way to see everything? She seems to read my mind.

"Calm down, boy. I'm not omniscient. I'm an Animagus; that cat is my other form."

Trying to recover from this lovely little shocker, I shake my head.

"I was just wondering why Elsa Fjord isn't here, when vacation hasn't even started."

"You didn't know? Oh, dear.." Her stony expression fell, which was rare, and that worried me. "...I'm afraid that the girl's parents have died."

"What?!" I blurt out. That's the only thing I can say. Elsa's own parents? This is the last thing she deserves, and the last thing she can handle.

"They were returning from offshore business when their ship was capsized in a storm. The wreckage hasn't even been found. She has had to go to her hometown to organize their affairs. After all, they wanted her to pursue the job of mayor in their place, though obviously it was not expected until she was older." She bows her head gravely.

"Then, will she be coming back?"

"Oh, I'm sure she'll decide to, after everything is in order. She'll need her friends more than ever." I nod numbly. "Is that all?" She stands up.

"Huh? Oh, actually, I did want to ask you if you knew anything about a Muggle family: The Overlands. They have a daughter named Alice."

McGonagall clasps her hands.

"And what makes you think I have this information?"

"Nothing. It's just all I have to go on." I shrug. I wonder if she's going to ask more, but she turns to the door after a moment.

"Why don't you wait here, and I'll check the archives?"

I smile, grateful.

After the door clamps shut, I pace the oval room.

The whole area of the office is neat, clean and tidy; there are no knicknacks, no bowls of candy--especially disappointing. Not even a potted fern. Or whatever the wizard equivalent of a fern would be. There are, however, tons of paintings on the walls, showcasing a portrait of an old person in each. I assume that these are past headmasters and headmistresses. They are all either leaning across frames to whisper to each other or sleeping. I come up to one pair who are conversing quietly.

"Oh, the poor girl lost her parents, did she?" A lady in midnight blue robes rasps. The gentleman beside her answers.

"I don't think this troublemaker is going to be much help to her." He nods my way, apparently not seeing how close I am.

"Hey!" I snap. "You don't know anything about my friend or me, so shut your wrinkly mouth!" The man's eyes widen, and he gives me a dirty look, but he returns to his own painting silently.

"Oh, don't mind them Jack. You'll take any gossip you can when you live on a wall."

I face the direction that the clear, ancient voice came from. My gaze rests on the portrait of a man sporting a long white beard and wise blue eyes, which are partially obscured by half-moon spectacles. The plaque underneath reads Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, 1881-1997.
"You were the last headmaster, weren't you?" I ask.

"More like a shadow of him, I'm afraid. I'm still just paint on a canvas." He smiles peacefully. "You know, I hear that you're having a bit of trouble with your sister."

"It's kind of creepy that you know that."

"Word travels fast among the pictures."

"Okay, so I am. What about it?" I shrug self-consciously.

"I myself struggled with my sister. Her powers were out of control, and because of me, she died."

"What's your point?" I look down sadly.

"My point is that you could live the rest of your life regretting what you didn't do to help your sister if you choose, but it's up to you."

"Now if only I had some sort of sister-findy device," I grumble. He either doesn't hear, or pretends not to.

"I also hear that a friend of yours is having similar troubles." This makes me look up. "I find that relaying pain can connect people." I'm about to ask what he means, when the door opens once more.

"I'm sorry, Jack, but even my most reliable Ministry contacts have trouble keeping tabs on Muggles, especially those lying as low as the Overlands must be," McGonagall says. "We'll have to keep searching, now that we know they're your family. I'm sure we'll find them eventually." I nod, trying to hide my disappointment. Well, at least today wasn't a total loss. After all, I got cryptic advice from a painting.