Innocence

Chapter Eleven

Sophia made her way back to the common room as quickly as possible, intent on speaking to someone about what she had just... But her thoughts snagged.

Just what? Discovered? Been given? Found?

She shook her head, confused as to what she had just experienced. She came to the conclusion that she would ask David first, and if need be, Jasper.

Although she hoped it wouldn't need to come to that.

As soon as she had thanked Jasper for helping her up through the door again, she scanned the seats around the room and soon found David, who appeared to perk up a tiny bit to see her back, although it had been such a slight shift in posture that Sophia wondered if it had just been her imagination. Sitting down next to him, she leaned forward and wrung her hands together nervously, explaining what had happened while she had been in the owlery. David's eyebrows furrowed.

"Can you show me the note?" He asked, quietly. Sophia pulled the folded paper from her pocket as carefully as she could, glancing around to see if anyone else was looking their way. There was. David caught on to what was happening when he saw her freeze, and so shifted his entire body round slightly, blocking what was happening from people's views. He took the note and scanned it a couple of times. "I don't know..."

"What don't you know?" Sophia pressed.

"I don't know if it's what you say it is. I can understand that it can be interpreted as anti No-Maj, but at the same time, it's very vague. What are non magical people worth? I mean some people could say nothing... But then there's the positive interpretation where you could say a lot of positive things."

"I guess you could be right." Sophia mumbled. "So do you think I should show it to Jasper or not?"

"Jasper? Who's Jasper?"

"The pukwudgie."

David turned his head and glanced at Jasper before whipping his head back to stare at Sophia incredulously.

"No, definitely not." He said certainly, shaking his head, dark hair falling into his eyes. He pushed the strands back impatiently. "There's no need to do that."

Sophia blinked up at him, uncertainly, and he continued.

"Let me put it this way. I would never put up with anything that insults No-Majes. I am very close to the non magical members of my family, and it would hurt me if anyone was saying or doing anything to hurt them. But it is our first night in a strange, new place. We don't understand how anything works here, even if you do have a brother who's told you as much as he has, and if we bring attention to something that we don't even have any evidence about its intention or purpose we could end up looking like fools." Sophia opened her mouth to speak but David cut her off again. "It's too vague. You don't even know who wrote it. It's probably some No-Maj Studies homework prompt that fell out of someone's pocket as they happened to be passing the owlery. You're looking too much into this."

Sophia nodded in agreement, although hesitantly, and put the paper away again. David visibly relaxed. A short while later David stood and said that he was going to bed.

"I'll see you back in here tomorrow morning." He said. "We can go down to breakfast together." He glanced around quickly and saw the fire calmly flickering in its grate, already beginning to die down. He leaned down to speak to her quietly again. "Throw it in there. Forget about it. That way it's gone no matter what it's intention is." And with that, he was gone.

Sophia stood and turned to the fire, note in hand. Kneeling down, she paused, hand hovering over the flames, before knitting her eyebrows together and plunging her hand back into her pocket. David was wrong, but he didn't need to know that. If there was even the slightest chance that someone could mean harm from this, then she didn't want to get rid of any evidence.

Standing confidently, she made her own way back to her dorm room, glancing one final time at the room behind her, catching Jasper's eye in the process.

- - - - -

A week passed with little incidence, and Sophia soon forgot about the cryptic message that she carried with her.

She had received a reply from her parents the morning after she'd sent her letter to them, and read over her Father's neat handwriting while Mark pecked furiously at her toast.

Sophia,

We are so proud of you and always will be. Never worry about whether or not you belong at that school or in that house, because every single child at that school deserves to be where they are.

I'm glad that you are getting on with Mr Scamander. Your Dad and I are currently sat with his parents as I am writing this to you. They ask me to tell you that they will write to him shortly, and that they and his brother miss him. They wish to know such things as how he is getting on at school and what house he is in. I know you will pass on the message.

Send Adam our regards, and please ask him not to try and turn Thumble blue this year, as it took us far longer than he realises to get the cat's fur to no longer smoke.

Remember to wish him luck when he tries to get Captain on his team.

Thinking of you,

Father.

Sophia explained what her Father had written to David, who just grunted in response.

"You can borrow Mark if you would like to send them a letter." She said, ignoring the glare that her owl shot her at the idea of flying off again.

Another grunt. She didn't push any further.

"Have you got any plans for this evening?" She asked once they had finished eating. "It's just that I'd like to watch my brother audition for Captain of the Horned Serpent Quidditch team."

David thought for a second before nodding. "Daniel wants to be on the team." He said quietly. "If your brother gets the place, do you think he'll pick my cousin next week when he auditions?"

"I'm sure my brother would chose whoever's the best at the job." Sophia said confidently.

David gave a small nod.

- - - - - - - - - -

My goodness has it already been a week? Yes, that's why I've published another chapter.

Anyway, in case you care, I'm currently writing a draft for chapter twentysix, which is absolutely crazy. It's strange to think how much longer this one is compared to all of the others I've written.

Can you guess what happens? Probably not, because only about three people read these chapters.