The Mystery of the Frozen Heart

Chapter 17: Choices

1925

1 Finding out that Petronius Flint was the mysterious contact that would lead Celestia and Nocturna to Alastair Fawley's salvation was almost too ludicrous to be realistic. Then again, at least he did have a really good reason for wanting to help Alastair, after what had happened during that fateful winter at Hogwarts. As convenient as this turn of events might seem to Celestia, she knew that coincidences existed. Coincidences happened all the time. It wasn't the universe's fault that she'd, over the years, grown mistrustful of coincidences. All that aside, though, it was important to not be stupid about any of this. The Fawleys only had two more weeks left; any potential margin for error had come and gone a long, wretched time ago.

"Don't be offended, Ronny, but...how are you here? Why you?" she said, scrutinising him with unmasked wariness.

Like all of them, Petronius had aged a little since they'd all graduated, but in essence, he looked the same: tall, broad-shouldered, muscular, tanned, wearing his brown hair cropped short.

Celestia almost expected him to be wearing the Slytherin House Quidditch uniform underneath his long coat.

He didn't look at all offended, albeit a little resigned to a fate he'd obviously expected. "Yeah, I figured you girls wouldn't just blindly follow me without at least some explanation."

"So?" Nocturna said, making an impatient little twirling gesture with her wand. "Time's money. Spit it out."

"I did always like you better," he said, looking at Celestia, before he sighed theatrically and scratched his neck. "Look, it's no secret – what happened to Alastair and all. You travelling the Earth looking for a cure isn't, either. I heard you were milling about with that Scamander fellow. So I knew: has to be a magic beast. I went to talk to his parents, who told me what happened to Alastair and-"

"The Scamanders volunteered information to you about something their son would never, because it might endanger an already endangered animal?" Nocturna cut in, deadpan. "Cute. Please try again."

This time, he did glance at her, but again, it was Celestia he spoke to. "All right, fine. I knew the Fawleys were frozen up and that a magic creature'd done it. So I went to the Scamanders, like I said" – He briefly scowled at Nocturna – "but they wouldn't talk much. But I remembered him carrying about an old book with an ugly ice monster drawn on the cover." His expression grew pained. "So I stunned the old folks and rummaged through their things. Turned out the book wasn't there, but letters Newt'd sent his parents, talking about where he was and who with and all." He ventured a little smile. "I knew I had to do something to help."

Before Celestia could even open her mouth to reply, Nocturna said, "And you just happened to find what Tia's been searching for all these months?" She'd always had this unfortunate habit of turning into Supreme Madam Inquisitor whenever she believed someone was attacking her little sister.

As heart-warming as the sentiment was, Celestia had to do something to keep the situation from derailing. She had no time for any of this. She hurried to say, "Please, Nana, stop interrogating him like this! Ronny's a good friend, and I believe him."

"Thank you," Petronius said, sounding both vindicated and peeved.

Celestia didn't blame him. She didn't blame Nocturna, either. After suppressing yet another yawn and wiping some sweat off her grimy forehead, she said, "Don't forget that he's only found it now, too. There is no-"

"All of this seems way to convenient to me. I don't trust it," Nocturna said, unmoved. That was another unfortunate habit of hers: interrupting people – that and being stubborn. Two talents for the price of one, really.