Lysander Scamander: The Hall of Voices

5: The Locket

That evening, I was sitting with Lorcan, playing a game of chess, when my owl swooped overhead. He dropped a letter on the board, making Lorcan frustrated because he had been winning. I saw my Nana's handwriting and snatched the letter. Lorcan saw how eager I was about this letter and stared at me.

"What did you ask about?"

Absentmindedly answering as a ripped open the envelope, "Nana's maternal uncle."

Lorcan, though I didn't see, raised an eyebrow. I unfolded the letter and read it.

Lysander,

I'm not sure why this is the first I'm hearing about Riley being missing, but I'll subdue my curiosity. As to your questions, I'm afraid my answers are vague.

My mother didn't talk about my uncle all that much with me, but I did overhear some of the talks she'd had with my father about Patrick.

Evidently, Patrick was a jealous man who didn't like to be told no. My mother went no contact with him when he tried to go after my grandmother for not allowing him to touch a young girl.

The locket on the other hand, will not be found with Riley, as Queenie was not given it upon my mother's passing and even if she had been, it would've gone to her eldest daughter; who's family still resides in New York.

If you look in the envelope, you'll find it. Please don't let him get it, it really should go to Matilda.

With love,
Nana

I turned the envelope over and my nana's locket, in its old-fashioned copper glory, fell into my palm. I looked at Lorcan, shocked. We have what he wants. Now I have to figure out where he is. And figure out how I can keep it from him so my cousin can still have it.

I sat up in bed that night, turning the locket over in my hands. Charlie, fast asleep across from me, snored loudly. I had a few ideas, but the most prominent one was to give it to Erika for safe keeping. I tend to lose things. I stood up and walked into the common room.

"Lysander." I heard Alice say from the couch. She was holding blunt, "You want a puff?"

I furrowed my brows, "Are you getting high alone?"

Alice nodded at me and took another puff. I pondered the scene a moment before I sat down and took the blunt in my hand. I never thought I'd get high with Alice before.

I realized as the sun started peering through the basement-like windows that I'd let myself unwind and forget about Patrick Smythe.

Bailey Macmillan walked down the stairs and found Alice and I, high as helium, laughing on the couch. I saw her shake her head, exiting the common room. I remembered the locket and stood up.

"You wanna come with me to find Erika?" I asked.

Alice smiled and stood up, discarding the weed in her bag. We made our way to the Great Hall, where we found Erika just entering for breakfast. I pulled the locket out of my pocket.

Erika sniffed as we approached her and gave a confused look, "Are you high?"

Alice looked at Erika, "Huh?"

"High?" Erika enunciated firmly.

Alice laughed hard, "Hi!"

Erika sighed, "What about you?"

Lysander looked at Erika, red-eyed, before opening my hand to show her the locket. Erika stared at it as it sat in my open palm.

"Where'd you get that?" she asked.

"It's what Patch Man is looking for." he told her, "I want you to keep it safe. Also, Nana wants us to give it to Tilly when this is all over."

Erika took the locket in her hand, stared at it for a moment, then slipped it around her neck. She then walked into the Great Hall; the locket safely hidden under her jumper.

I stood beside Alice, tilting my head, "Has her hair always been caramel?"

Alice started to laugh and walk away. I turned around and smiled as I saw Lily. She wrapped her arms around my waist and pressed a kiss to my lips. She broke from the kiss and gave a smile and eyebrow raise.

"You've been smoking with Alice." she pointed out.

I stared at her, "How did you know?"

She rolled her eyes and took me by the hand, taking me into the Great Hall. We sat down at the table, and I piled my plate full of anything I can reach. Lily watched me build a mountain on my plate as she wrapped a couple dozen muffins up and placed them in her bag.

As I ate, I watched the owls fly into the ceiling with morning papers and mail. A copy of the prophet dropped in front of me, and the front page caught my eye. It was a photograph of Riley in the top corner and the big photograph is of her dad, Anthony, and her stepdad, Zacharias, her other dad, Terry, and her stepmum, Lavender. Her brother and sister, Casper (10) and Ellie (7), stood with their respective parents confused about why everyone was sad.

The headline read:

Riley Goldstein, age 18, missing since Halloween.

I slumped onto my elbows, eating my mountain of breakfast. Lily grabbed the paper and stuck it in her bag with everything else. A commotion in the main corridor drew attention from everyone. I stood up with Lily and approached the open doors. I reached the corridor and immediately I am overwhelmed.

"Mr. Scamander!" I heard a reporter call out, "You're Miss Goldstein's best friend, right?" I tried to pull Lily back inside the Great Hall, but as I moved another reporter grabbed my wrist, "Can you answer a few ques-?"

In self defense, I turned to them and slugged them in the face. As I watched them stumble backward in shock, simultaneously letting my wrist go, I pulled Lily close and ran back into the Great Hall, heading for the back door of the hall.

When we turned a corner to somewhere hidden, I sunk to the floor and bashed my head in the wall lightly.

"Stupid! Idiot!" I called myself.

Lily sat down beside me, "No, you're not!"

She wrapped an arm around my shoulder, and I immediately turned into her embrace and hugged her tightly; hot tears rolling down my cheek.

I heard others join us in that back corridor, which I assume are Erika, Alice, and Lorcan. They circled me and made sure I wasn't bothered by anyone else. I suddenly heard a loud breeze and looked up.

Black surrounded me. It's my mind palace again. Patrick stood in front of me.

"You found the locket, didn't you?" he asked.

I swallowed and nodded, "I held up to my end of the bargain. Tell me where Riley is, and you'll get it."

Patrick traced the inside of his cheek with his ghostly tongue. He let out a sigh and I could see the cogs in his brain turning. He looked at me finally and said.

"Today at sundown in the Forbidden Forest."