Harriet Jinjur vs. the Academy

Chapter 10: The Crimson Catacombs

Three weeks and three days has passed since Emmi Whiffeneye tested Harriet and things have been going smoothly for her.

Outside of the usual magical bullshit she has to practice and the certain anti-academic anecdotes that she gets involved into, Harriet has done a better job adjusting in August than in July.

It helps that she now has a TV in her room and even though she didn't get many channels here (a lot of them happen to be owned by Magic Television,) she still got by with whatever's on in-between homework and her Headlines of the Moment.

She still didn't bother learning any other spells besides the essentials unless it was part of netting her a good grade, but Harriet worried if she does learn more spells than she can handle, she'll consider her slingshot obsolete and that's something she never wants to reflect upon her only possession.

Harriet has also been hanging with the students around here, some with more success than others. She loves hanging around with the likes of Jonni Jones, Grey Manson, and Izzy the Scarecrow, even tried to buddy up with Aloysius despite the somewhat-bad blood between them, but none of them gives Harriet the impression that they're in a normal situation.

It turns out that learning in a magical school is a lot more distracting than being the Chosen One for a daily basis.

But that was all about to change late one night.

Bennadonner has been living in the hut in the Meadow of Leisure for some time now, even requested that he buried Gloucester's huge remains nearby.

Miss Hazelnut was not happy to grant that request, rather tolerate his miserable whims, provided he does one thing for her.

"'Ow long are ye gon'a stall befor' I can propahly retir'?" the half-giant exclaimed on the day he was shown to his new quarters, which happend to be a few days after Gloucester's funeral.

"Not much longer thankfully," said Miss Hazelnut. "You still did a half-assed job on finding the body, but I believe in second chances."

"Den, wot is it? I could kiss yewr feet if ye al'ow it!"

"I don't," she grumbled. "I heard there's been activity in the Crimson Catacombs recently. You'd think that somewhere you can get yourself lost in easily wouldn't be beret of activity."

"I don't know. I 'eard dere's tons o' beasties and wot-'ave-yew livin' down dere," said Bennadonner.

"Yes, but they tend to keep to themselves. The space underneath the meadow is supposed to be empty," Hazelnut explained.

Bennadonner gulped, "Ye fink dere might be grave robbers in dese parts?"

"Relax, Bennadonner. It's not that type of catacombs, but there is something of interest under heavy guard that I require."

"Somefing o' interes'?" he whispered. "Then, why 'ave me go spelunkin'? Why not dat stuff-shirt with the blonde top?"

"Mason wouldn't accept it if I brought it up," Miss Hazelnut then handed him a photo of the vault in question. "Also, between you and me, I don't trust this place, especially if there's something the headmaster might use against me. And you happen to be the perfect man to take the fall for me."

"Take da fall?" Bennadonner repeated, his plump cheeks turning red. "Ye can't jus' ordah som'one in moanin' ta do ya dirty..."

"Did I mention the hut has central heating?"

Bennadonner looked at the photo of the mustard-colored rocky corridors with a steel vault centered in the middle before looking back at Miss Hazelnut, arms folded across her chest.