Hogwarts and the New Headmaster

Chapter 13 - Madame Fulcanelli

In keeping with the centuries old tradition of Divination instructors choosing offices located away from the rest of the castle inhabitants, Professor Fulcanelli had picked an office that was about as far from the headmaster's office as it was possible to be, forcing Viridis to traipse through a maze of dimly lit corridors, climb several flights of stairs, and pass through no less than two secret doors before he stood outside her office.

He raised his hand to knock on her door, then hesitated. Much of his anger had dissipated during the ten-minute hike through the castle, and he was having second thoughts about facing Fulcanelli again. The hairs on the back of his neck were already standing on end, and the idea of returning to his office and answering the owls' messages no longer seemed quite so onerous.

Perhaps she was busy, he told himself. No need to bother her now. He could always come back tomorrow—or next week if necessary. Feeling a sense of relief, he turned to leave.

The unmistakable voice of Fulcanelli drifted out through the door. "Please do come in, headmaster."

He froze.

How had she known he was there? He turned back and searched the door and surrounding area, looking for some sort of peephole or other device that might have revealed his presence to her, but found nothing. Then it occurred to him that if she could somehow see him, he probably looked rather foolish standing out in the hallway. With an audible sigh, he opened the door and stepped inside.

Despite it being mid-afternoon on a bright, sunny day, the room was shrouded in darkness. No light filtered in through the windows. He wasn't even sure the room had windows. Other than the light which spilled in through the doorway, the only sources of illumination were four small candles flickering at the corners of the desk.

Fulcanelli sat behind the desk, her quill poised over a stack of papers. She wore her usual half smile, which Viridis found both irritating and worrisome. She returned the quill to the inkwell.

"Welcome, headmaster," she said, adding a strange inflection to the title. She gestured toward the chair in front of her desk. "Please make yourself comfortable." The door closed softly behind him, leaving the desk surrounded by a small island of light.

Both the tapestry hanging on the wall behind Fulcanelli's chair and the thick carpeting beneath his feet were a very deep purple, almost black, their purpose apparently to absorb as much light as possible. An ornate and expensive looking ceramic basin sat on a pedestal next to the desk, filled with what he assumed was water. A crystal ball rested on a carved ivory stand at the center of the desktop. Flames of orange light swirled in intricate patterns within the glass orb.

"I'm pleased you find Divination worthy of a visit, Headmaster Olwyn," Fulcanelli said after he had taken a seat. "There are those who would dismiss it as a useless branch of magic, unworthy of a place at a prestigious institution such as Hogwarts."

"Really?" Viridis replied, trying to sound as if the thought had never occurred to him.

Fulcanelli stared at him in silence, her eyes shining black diamonds in the dim light. The urge to look away was overwhelming, but Viridis forced himself to meet her gaze. Only when she looked away did he realize he'd been holding his breath.

The Divination instructor focused her attention on the crystal ball, and the patterns of colors began to whirl more quickly. She hummed a soft tune, one he didn't recognize, but which made his skin crawl.

He took the opportunity to examine her more closely. She wore the same star-covered robe as she had the previous night, but to his surprise, Orion was now located just below her neck instead of her right shoulder. Did she have more than one of these robes? Or did the stars—