The Other Castellan

The Tip

Chapter 10: The Tip

All in all, Lucas probably shouldn't have woken up his roommates in the cruellest way possible.

  Okay, so it wasn't exactly the cruellest way possible, but to a bunch of stuck up Slytherins who couldn't tell a prank apart even if it bounced on their heads and dyed their hair pink, it probably was. Not to Lucas, though. He had experienced much worse from the Stolls.

  It wasn't even that bad. At first, he considered pulling one of the Stolls' cruellest wake-up pranks but eventually decided against it. He didn't want to expose himself too early. Instead, he settled with a classic one- to wake up early and yell at the top of his lungs, telling them that they overslept and were late for class. The redecorating he had done during Christmas didn't help either. But, their disgruntled expressions was more than worth it.

  Then Blaise retaliated in typical Slytherin fashion- he attacked Neville. Well, Neville wasn't hurt, so technically didn't count as an attack, but Blaise had performed the Leg-Locker Curse.

  Lucas was with Blaise at the time, so after making sure nobody was looking, sent a jinx Blaise's way.

  "Cantis," Lucas muttered, flicking his wand.

  Lucas watched as Blaise started singing "It's Raining Men" at the top of his lungs, attracting some very strange looks.

  Lucas laughed. He knew Blaise didn't like to sing, much less sing a song as embarrassing as this. Even Neville was laughing, albeit nervously. Smart. Even if Lucas did get Blaise for his cowardly act, it didn't exactly prove that he was on Neville's side.

  Speaking of Neville, Lucas turned around and muttered the counter-curse, and Neville's legs sprang apart.

  "Th-thank you," he said shakily.

  "No problem," Lucas replied. "Why don't you go report him?"

  Neville shook his head jerkily.

  Lucas sighed. "He's used to stepping all over people, but that doesn't mean you should lie down and give up."

  "There's no need to tell me I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, Zabini's already done that," Neville choked out.

  "You're worth 12 of Blaise," Lucas told him reassuringly. "The Sorting Hat put you in Gryffindor, didn't it? It knows what it's doing." Lucas grinned. "Tell you what, I'll teach you to fight the Muggle way. Who knows, you might become good at it."

  Neville was becoming more at ease with him. "Thanks," he said, "but I'll have to think about it."

  Lucas nodded. "Sure," he replied, smiling at him. "While you're considering it, can you pass on a message to Hermione?"

  "Sure," he replied.

  "Tell her that I've found out who Nicolas Flamel is, and that I'll meet her on the island in the middle of the Black Lake this Friday." Lucas had been trying to find Hermione ever since the holidays ended, to no avail. 

  Neville nodded, confused by Lucas's words, but he walked away to find Hermione.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Well?" Hermione asked impatiently.

  "What's gotten into you?" Lucas asked.

  "What do you mean, 'What's gotten into me'?" she asked.

  "I mean," Lucas replied grumpily, "that you seem different. I have been trying to find you ever since the holidays have ended, and I can't find you."