The Four Shadows

Chapter 15

"That was a dreadful day yesterday" Helga said as she walked briskly through the Great Hall. The decorations for the mid-term ball were almost done, except the gargantuan House tables in the way.
"Looks lovely Helga" Godric said, adding flowers to a bouquet on a table. The scenery had looked as if spring and winter collided. Helga was rather proud of herself. The ball was 3 days away and the students couldn't contain their excitement, neither could the professors themselves.
"Thank you, Godric. Now we mustn't let the students touch or ruin the decorations in the meantime while they're here for meals. I- - what the-" Helga stopped.
An owl had swooped into the Great Hall, holding an envelope in its beak. James, Rowena's and Godrics attention was turned to the owl who had landed softly on Helgas arm. She took the card before it's screeched rather loudly and took off.
"Okay so who here agrees we keep the front door closed all day?" Godric asked as they all merged to Helga who was opening the envelope. Her eyes went back and forth, reading it, her expression become more dumb founded.
  "That's odd" she tilted her head. Godric grunted with impatience and pulled the letter out of her hand, reading it for himself.
"It's a letter from an angry....." Godric trailed off, his expression had become grim. "From an angry asylum" he said, looking up. Rowena furrowed her brows.
"An asylum?" She asked. Scoffing, she pulled the letter from Godric for herself and read out loud.
"To the Headmasters of Hogwarts,
Please do not contact our patients anymore. They are sick and do not need encouragement. If we see another letter sent to us by you, we will meet with you personally to halt your inappropriate actions.
And to your letter, sent to a specific student who has been recently acting strange, has been destroyed. Good day.
- George Rews, Headmaster"
Rowena looked up with fright.
"We pin point students with magical capabilities and it so happens there is a student who is supposed to be here, but locked in a ward" Rowena said with a shaky voice. "Send another owl" she demanded.
"You heard them" James said. "They're muggles. They don't understand. We can't expose anything" James said, taking the letter cautiously from Rowena's grip. Godric sighed and ran a hand through his hair, uneasily.
"I mean, we can do something, right?" Helga asked. "Right?" She pleaded.
"I don't know" Rowena breathed.
"There's a student, who is supposed to be embracing their gift, suffering because they're different" Helga argued.
"What do we do?" James asked. "I mean your policy is to educate all wizarding students. You can't leave this one out. We've never had this issue before. Do you think we will have to deal with muggle threats?"
At the mention of muggle interactions, the three professors laughed. James raised an eyebrow, rather confused.
"Oh dear James. We already did and Rowena was almost burned at the stake. Well there were wizards and witches there, but mostly muggles" Godric said with a chuckle.
"Alright. Then if you can handle them, let's go get that student" James proposed, but Helga held up an opposing hand.
"Hold on. Last time we made a trip, that Order of Heriot charged in and almost killed our students. I say two of us go and two of us stay" Helga said. The group seemed to nod in agreement, but who was to go?
"James and I will get the student" Godric said. Rowena almost choked on air.
"The hell you're not. You're going with either one of us" Rowena said, gesturing at herself and Helga. Godric crossed his arms and felt intimidated.
"No? Well, James here knows more about muggles than all 3 of us combined. We're going. Tomorrow by noon. No questions asked" Godric stated. His tone was straight forward, so Helga and Rowena didn't resist.
"Alright you three" Helga clapped. "Let's finish up with this Ball decorating!"

"Wake UP Malfoy! It's mid day! I know we have the day off but honest to a God, you can't spend the whole day passed out!" Poveglia yelled. She had gotten into the boys dormitory, since it was empty except for Lithos. He scrambled out of bed, startled.
  "What the- Poveglia! Get out!" He yelled. She laughed and opened the door to leave.
"See you in the common room!" She said before closing the door.
  Monolithos Malfoy shuffled downstairs, adjusting his robes. His friends were gathered around in arm chairs, in front of glass tables that held heaps of food.
  "What's all this?" He asked.
"Mornin!" Algar said, spreading fruit on his toast.
  "A Hufflepuff smuggled some leftover breakfast food from the kitchens" Adney said, mouth full. Poveglia cracked a smile.
"So, Detective Malfoy, got any evidence on your crazy Professor?" She asked. Lithos rolled his eyes and took a seat in a creaky arm chair.
"It's a long shot, Lithos" Adney suggested. Lithos ran a hand absentmindedly through his hair and sighed.
"I know. I need time. Give me until dinner , then I can start planning our take down." He said, before a cluster of small bags on a table  caught his eye.
"Oy, what are those?" Lithos asked, nodding towards the bags. Adney smiled.
"Those are from my Mum! She sends sweets and notes. Although the notes are kind of intense. She keeps saying 'come back home' but when I write to her, I send them back with 'I'll be home for holiday break'" Adney said, taking a bag off the table. Lithos shrugged and continued his Common Room feast with his friends.

   It was an hour to dark, while all the students were relaxing in their Common Rooms. Lithos had slapped a hand to his forehead, because he had forgotten his notes in a classroom. Walking out of the Common Room, and swiftly going down the corridor, he heard foot steps and familiar voices. He found a nearby pillar, and slid behind it.
  "The address is odd. I'm sure we can find it. All you have to do is the talking to the muggles, and I'll handle the kid" the voice said. Bells went off in Lithos' head but he couldn't pin point the voice.
"You seem a little intimidating for the job, you think?" The second voice laughed as they continued to walk. Lithos crouched down and tip toed to the next pillar, seeing the persons robes.
Mr Kedt and Gryffindor? Lithos asked himself.
"This could probably get Salazars attention you know" Godric said, oblivious to the student following them. James slowed their pace and looked at him.
"How?" James asked.
"Well, he will know we're gone; me especially; so he will be the farthest away from that mental chamber and serpent, finally coming up to the Great Hall for a meal, or even wandering about the castle" Godric said.
"So when we leave tomorrow, you think he will come out of his shell?" James asked. Godric nodded apprehensively. Lithos drifted and ran to the next pillar.
"Well, on other topics, a Hufflepuff student had burned her hair off...." Godrics voice diffused out into nothing, before Lithos was alone. He didn't need to hear any more, for he made a straight shot to the Great Hall, in time for dinner.

   The decorations for the ball had everyone mesmerized as the students 'ooh-ed' and 'ahh-ed' at every intricate detail. Helga and Rowena were sitting up front, chatting happily and eating.
Lithos slid faster than any human before into his seat at the Slytherin House bench.
"You're late again. Oh no I know that look" Poveglia became worried.
"I told you I'd have my plan. So here it is" Lithos cut to the chase. His friends shared uneasy looks.
"I'm listening" Adney said.
"Tomorrow. We sneak down to the basements, past the Quidditch room, and find out what's really down there with Professor S. I overheard Professor K and G talking about it. They're leaving tomorrow, thus giving us the perfect opportunity to sneak down there and reveal the truth" Lithos said. His plan made a compelling argument, and his friends nodded in agreement