Chapter 19: Under the Stars

I had spent a whole week at home, mostly studying and reading all the case information again and again, trying to find another clue. It got quite boring after the first day already. Finally – it seemed after ages – I’m unpacking my bag again in my dorm room. Lotte, Chantal and Hermione aren’t here, probably at fighting class or studying upstairs.
            Or not, because Lotte just came running through the door and is now hugging me tight.
            “Beckett! It was so boring without you! I’m so glad you’re back! Do you already know why you got send home, I mean, besides the fight?”
            “I missed you too. And no, I don’t know. The only thing I could think of was to study the case, but I didn’t need a whole week to do that.”
            “And? Did you find something new?”
            “Nope.”
            “Well, we still have till Thursday to find something. I wonder what’s going to happen…”
            “Probably another death, I think.”
            “Yeah, probably so. Oh, I almost forgot, I had to give you this.” She hands me a small envelope. “It’s from Fred, and I think it’s to make up for last Tuesday.”
            “Last Tuesday?”
            “Yeah, January 31^st? Rings a bell? Oh come on! Three months after Halloween?”
            And then it hits me. “Three months already?! God, time flies.” I sit down on my bed and open the envelope.
            “What does it say?”
            “‘Meet me at six thirty tonight, same place as where we first kissed’.”
            “Oooooh.” Lotte says teasing.
            “So, what did you and George do?”
            “Dinner date in the Room. It had changed in one of these picturesque French cafés.”
            “Ahw, that’s cute.” I tease.
            Pyrite jumps on my bed and lies down next to me as I caress her.
            “I should tell you she’s been acting weird the past days. I don’t know if she was missing you – what is very likely – or if she’s feeling the tension that’s hanging in school.” I didn’t take Pyrite with me back home because I didn’t want her to get stressed by moving; she has never really liked travelling.
            “Are people still freaked out over Claire’s death?”
            “Yeah, and they’re afraid they could be next.”
            I don’t blame them. “Little do they know.”

At twenty-five past six I walk upstairs. At the door of the library I stand still for a second, checking my dress and hair in the window next to the door. The next second I can’t help it but laugh about how self-conscious I suddenly am. Then I open the door and walk up the stairs to the Astronomy room. The ladder is already set and I climb it to find a table set for two, with a candle in the middle.
            “Evening, gorgeous.” Fred walks to me from one corner of the roof. “I missed you last week.”
            “I missed you too.”
            Fred pulls me close and kisses me softly before leading me to one of the chairs and holds it out for me. “Take a seat, ma’am.”
            “Why thank you. You’re such a gentleman.”
            I look at the plate in front of me; there’s a piece of a quiche, a steak and some vegetables on it. “So, did you make this?” I already know the answer, but I just feel like asking it.
            Fred laughs. “You know how horrible a cook I am. No, all honor goes to Winky. Want some wine?”
            I nod. I’m not really a big fan of alcoholic drinks, but sometimes wine on occasion feels good. Totally on an occasion like this.
            “Did I miss a lot in the past days?” I ask.
            “Not really. George and I got detention yesterday for drawing Umbridge as a toad, but further nothing really  happened.”
            “You drew her as a toad?” I’m more surprised about the drawing-part then the toad-part.
            “Yeah, it was just an ugly toad with a pink hat and a crazy hair-do. We’re not such professional drawers, but we got bored in class.”
            “Do you still got the drawing?”
            “Of course.”
            “Good, because I want to see it.” I take a bite of the quiche. “Okay, this is really good. Winky did some really great job.”
            “I know, isn’t it amazing?” He smiles, but then his face gets more serious. “I think you know why I arranged all this.”
            “Three months.” I just say.
            “Three months and four days to be precisely.” Fred smiles.
            “It’s adorable that you know the exact time.”
            “You always call me adorable.”
            “Yeah, because you just are.”
            He laughs before getting back to his serious face. “Anyway, to celebrate, I want to give you something.” He grabs a little box out of his chest pocket and shoves it to me.
            I wait a second before getting it and then open it. There’s a beautiful crystal in it, with something like another crystal in the middle with crushed rose petals in it.
            I’m stunned. “I… Wow… This is… This is beautiful.”
            “It’s a… It’s a necklace. Here, wait.” He gets off his chair and walks round the table to me. There he picks up the necklace.
            I pull my hair aside so he can put it around my neck. When he’s done, I too stand up.
            “So you like it?”
            “Yeah. I do, I really do. It’s beautiful. Thank you.”
            Fred wraps his arms around me and pulls me close. I can feel my heartbeat racing. I put my arms around his neck and lean in, tilting my head a bit before pressing my lips on his.
            Fred kisses back before murmuring (his lips still pressed on mine): “There’s still dinner.”
            I smile. “Dinner can wait.”

A/N: Well, I think this proofs of how bad I am in writing romance, so please tell me what you think of it. Don't be afraid, it will only make me a better writer!

Chapter 18: Another Fight

Note: I'm sorry for not updating for such a very long time. It was quite busy and I ran out of ideas. I hope you like this new chapter. I enjoyed writing it very much. Please review and correction of any mistakes are very much appreciated.  

I walk upstairs and find Lotte and the twins at a table in the atrium.
            “Any news?” Lotte asks.
            “Yep.” I sit down next to Fred and give him a kiss. “Good morning.”
            “Morning.”
            “So what’s the news?” George asks.
            “We think we know who the killer is. Or, what the killer is.”
            Their attention is now totally on me.
            “So, the killer is not human?” Fred asks.
            George asks “Aliens?” at the same moment.
             “Uhuh.”
            I look around to see if anyone’s listening. It’s still very quiet and there are only three other guys in the atrium, but they’re talking to each other and joking around.
            “Okay, so apparently there’s an alien race called the Vondrax, who can kill just by looking into their victim’s eyes.”
            “Whoa. Creepy.” Lotte says.
            “But then how do we know it’s them?” Fred asks.
            “Because, even though they can change into everything or everyone they want and leave no traces, their voice stays unnatural. Professor Sinistra heard weird, hissing voices before she found the body.”
            “Wait, they can change how they look?” Lotte understands the danger.
            “Yes.”
            “And they can kill just by looking in someone’s eyes?”
            I nod.
            “We’re so screwed.”
            “Are they still inside the school?” George asks.
            “That’s the thing, we don’t know.”
            “That’s not good. At all.” Fred says.
            “Tell me something.” I hang back in my chair. “The Doctor wants us all to wear sunglasses.”
            “Why so?” All three ask.
            “Weeping Angel effect.” I answer, knowing that says enough.
            “Okay, but isn’t it a bit weird?” Lotte asks.
            “That’s what we said. So we need to think of a better solution.”
            “A better solution for what?”
            Oh no. You’ve got to be kidding me.
            I turn around and look at Lindsey, Dudley and his two minions.
            “Okay, what do you want?” I asks them.
            “I want to know what you were talking about.” Lindsey says disparaged.
            “None of your business.”
            “Oh, is it a secret?”
            “We can keep a secret.” Dudley says. “You can tell us.”
            “Eh, no, sorry.”
            “Fine. You have a secret, I’ll find out what it is. But I bet you’re planning another murder.” Lindsey says.
            “Ha. Yeah, of course. We’re planning a murder in a place where everyone can hear us.”
            “You know, Lindsey, I liked you better yesterday.” Lotte says. “You know, when you had a breakdown in our room?”
            “Yeah, I agree. Until you started insulting us again.”
            Lindsey doesn’t look pleased by this. This might work in my favor.
            “Oh, I’m sorry. Am I talking about your weak moment in the presence of your little boyfriend?”
            Lindsey looks shocked, but a smile appears on Dudley’s face.
            “My boyfriend? Ha! I would never date such a pig like him.”
            Yep. This is definitely working in my favor.
            Dudley’s smile disappears as snow for the sun before Lindsey realizes what she just said.
            “I’m sorry, how did you just call me?”
            “Uh… I meant to say…”
            “You meant to say what?”
            “Yes, Lindsey, what did you mean to say?” I ask.
            I’m enjoying this way too much.
            “I meant to say I’d never date such a big… such a big…” Lindsey has no words to make this right and looks panicked. “Okay, fine, I meant what I said.”
            “You think I’m a pig?”
            “Ugh, yes.”
            “You used me!”
            “No, really.” Lindsey starts to sound annoyed again.
            “How could you? I mean, why?”
            “Because you were stalking me and the only way to get rid of that creepiness was to use you and let you think I was into you.”
            “How did you know Dudley had a crush on Lindsey?” Fred whispers in my ear.
            “I didn’t.” I whisper back.
            I’m not sure if I should feel sorry for Dudley for being used by Lindsey, or think he’s stupid for not noticing. No, wait. I’m sure I think he’s stupid. The idiot.
            Too bad Lindsey isn’t such a big idiot.
            “Okay, you know what, Dudley, I’m not sorry for what I’ve done, but this is not my fault. It’s hers!” She points at me.
            I’m afraid the fun is over.
            “I have nothing to do with your little problems.”
            “Oh, go on. Fake your innocence once again. Because that’s what you do. You do evil stuff and then pretend you have nothing to do with it.”
            “Really? How many times are you going to accuse me?”
            “Until you get into jail and everyone sees I was right.”
            I try my best to stay calm.
            “Jail? Neh, don’t think so. Sounds boring.” I say, more to calm myself a bit than trying to make the conversation less serious.
            “Okay, a nut-house then. I’m sure you’ll join your friends there after you get released from prison.”
            Stay calm. Stay. Calm.
             “Sounds like fun.” I say, repressing my anger.
            I should think of a better come-back.
            Got it.
            “At least I won’t end up on the streets.”
            Oh yes. That hit her. Hard.
            But she can hit hard too. Literally.
            My cheek feels warm. I never expected Lindsey to hit that hard.
            Impressive.
            “Don’t. Ever. Say that. Again.” She says before walking away.
            “You deserved that one.” Dudley says.
            “No, you deserve one if you don’t get away now.” Dudley stumbles back as
Fred stands up, but recovers quickly.
            Or at least, pretends to recover quickly.
            “Fine, but I’m on to you. All of you. I’m sure you’ll be in prison before the year ends.” He walks back slowly, but when Fred makes this one move like he’s going after him, Dudley doesn’t know how fast he needs to get out of here.
            “Thanks.” I tell Fred.

Later that day, professor McGonagall walks into my Dutch class. Just as I started hoping there wouldn’t be any more trouble today.
            “Miss van Leeuwen, can I see you in my office?”
            Chantal looks at me with a face that just screams “what the hell did you do?”
            I shrug, but I do have an idea what happened. I’m just not sure if I’m correct.
            I grab my bag and follow professor McGonagall to her office.
            “Take a seat.”
            I dump my bag next to one of the seats and sit down.
            “I have heard you’ve had another encounter with Miss Anderson and Mr. Dursley.”
            “That is correct.” I’ve got a feeling where this conversation is going.
            “Do you remember our last conversation?”
            The knot in my stomach gets bigger.
            “Yes, professor.”
            “Then you will understand that I have to expel you.”
            “Actually, no, I don’t understand, because you said I would get expelled if the next encounter got out of hand, and for as far as I can remember, the only thing that can be seen as ‘out of hand’ is that Lindsey slapped me.”
            Professor McGonagall frowns before answering. “Well, I’m afraid I’ve heard another version of the story.”
            I should’ve known. Lindsey and Dudley probably have gone to her and told a different story in which I’m the bad guy.
            “May I hear your version of the story, Miss van Leeuwen?”
            “Lindsey and Dudley came over to the table where I was talking with my friends and accused me of the murder on Claire.” I’m letting out the subject of the chat because I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to tell professor McGonagall we were discussing the murder. Not that it matters anyway. “We exchanged words, which might have gotten a bit far, and Lindsey slapped me in my face before running of.”
            “I see. Has it occurred to you that this accusation of murdering Miss Jenkins could be an act of grief?”
            “Yes. She came to our dorm yesterday with the same accusation and broke down.”
            “Understandable. Miss Anderson is in a state of shock. We have send her home for a week to calm down. Even though I find your story far more believable than the one I’ve been told, you too will be send home.”
            I open my mouth to complain, but professor McGonagall goes on.
            “This is to prevent another encounter with Mr. Dursley, or any other student who wants to accuse you, to get out of hand. You are allowed to come back Saturday, the fourth of February.”
            I don’t think that’s the real reason I’m being suspended. 

Chapter 17: The Murder Investigation

            “This is weird… Horrible and weird.”
            We’re sitting in a room in the back of the training center, a room from which I didn’t know it existed. Lotte and I are sitting on a cupboard against the wall, staring at the table in the middle of the room. Sirius sits on a chair at the other side of the room, Jack stands at the end of the table.
            “I know. I mean, I hated Claire, but this… It’s really bad.”
            “Jack, what do you think has killed her?” I ask.
            “There are no wounds, so she’s not stabbed or shot or something like that. There’s no trace of poison. I’m afraid the Doctor is right.”
            “Aliens?”
            “Yeah."
            “How…?” Lotte starts.
            “Don’t know yet.”
            “But this proves the ciphers where indeed dates.” Sirius says.
            “Yes, that’s why we need to be very careful on those dates. Who knows what might happen. Today proved that they don’t care if someone dies. They’ll do everything they need to do to get what they want.” Jack says.
            “We only need to find out what that is.” I mumble, but loud enough for everyone in the room to hear it.
            “Well, what we really need to find out is why they’re trying to sabotage the school.” Sirius says.
            “Isn’t that the same?” Lotte points out.
            “No, of co… Uh… Well… Yes… Yes, it is. Huh.”
            “Okay, kids, I don’t want to spoil your fun, but I have to do some tests and it’s better if you’re not around.” Jack interrupts Sirius from his thinking and looks at Lotte and me.
            “Why not? It’s not like you’re going to cut her into pieces and… Oh my God, that sounded so much grosser than I thought it would.” I say.
            “That’s why I want you to go.”
            I wonder if that’s the only reason.
            “Neh, still not going.” I tease and I cross my arms.
            “Do you want me to count to three?”
            “I’m not a child.”
            “One…”
            “Nop. Not going.”
            “Two…”
            “Still not going.”
            “Two and a half…”
            “I think we should go.” Lotte says. I know she’s smirking.
            “Two and three quarters…”
            “I’m not a child. I’m not going because you’re counting down.”
            “I think you should run then.” Sirius says.
            “Why would I…?” I can’t finish my sentence because Jack says “Last chance.” As he starts walking towards.
            “Three!”
            “Okay, bye!” I run away just as Jack reaches the cupboard.

            “I can’t believe he just did that.” I say when Lotte walks into our room 10 seconds after me.
            “It did work, eventually.”
            “Yeah, but counting to three is so…” I can’t think of the right word.
            “Childish?”
            “Yes! Exactly.”
            “Says the girl who ran away.”
            “Did you see Jack’s face?”
            “Yep, why do you think I came right after you?”
            I look at Lotte’s face and smirk, but not for long.
            The door slams open and Lindsey storms into the room.
            “You! You killed her!” she yells, pointing a finger at me.
            “I’m sorry?”
            “Don’t pretend you’re innocent. You killed Claire!”
            “I would never…”
            “Yeah right! You hated her! You always have! You killed her! You’re not a freak, you’re a psychopath!”
            “Lindsey, you can’t accuse her just because you hate her.” Lotte says angrily.
            “Oh, I cannot? Well, listen what I’m doing. I do accuse her and you know what? I think you might be an accomplice.”
            “Excuse me?” Lotte says indignantly.
            “What’s going on?” Chantal, Hermione and Ginny walk in.
            “Lindsey is accusing us from murdering Claire.” I say nonchalant.
            “What?” Chantal’s surprised face makes me remember that nobody knows yet. Or at least, nobody knew.
            “Claire’s dead?” Ginny asks with a sound of shock clearly in her voice.
            “So that’s what was going on.” Hermione says. She doesn’t seem surprised, but she can’t hide the shock in her eyes.
            “Yeah, sure, just act like you don’t know of everything. This all is one big complot. You’ve been planning to kill my best friend all along.”
            I turn back to Lindsey. “Seriously, can you please shut up!” I yell the last words.
            “I’m not going to shut up. In fact, I’m going to Headmaster Dumbledore now to tell him what you’ve done.”
            “Yeah, okay, go. He’s not going to believe you anyway.” Lotte says.
            “Why wouldn’t he? I know you’re the murderers.”
            “You need evidence.” Hermione says.
            “Even if you would have evidence, it wouldn’t lead to us.” Ginny says confidently.
            “Don’t try to convince me!” Lindsey gets angrier every second. I try to understand. She  just lost her best friend and she’s sad; she needs something, or someone, to yell at, to get her feelings out. I just don’t think she should blame us just because she hates us.
            “Lindsey, can you please calm down?” I try.
            “No, I will not calm down! Why would I calm down? My best friend is that and it’s your fault! You murdered her! I…” and before she can finish her sentence she starts crying and collapses. I catch her in my arms just before she hits the ground. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” She says in between her sobs.
            “It’s okay. I understand.” I look at the others for a bit of help.
            “Yeah, I mean, you just lost your best friend.” Hermione tries.
            “Yes, and that’s probably very hard. Now if you can cry in someone else’s room.” Chantal holds the door as a sign for Lindsey to leave.
            “Chantal!” Lotte and I yell. I can understand Chantal’s reaction though. Lindsey has always been so mean to us and now she sits crying on our floor. Weird.
            Everything’s weird today.
            “A bit more sympathy might be nice.” Ginny suggests.
            Chantal rolls with her eyes. “Lindsey, listen, I’m very sorry for your loss, I really am, but this is so odd. I mean, you hate us.”
            “Chantal, be nice.” I say. Even though she’s right.
            “No, it’s okay. She’s right.” Lindsey says, still sobbing. “I do hate you. You guys are the weirdest kids in school and…”
            “Yeah, okay, that’s it.” I put Lindsey’s left arm around my neck and drag her to the door, which Chantal is still holding.
            I put Lindsey down right outside the room. “I do feel sorry for your loss, but you can also stop being mean.” I say and I close the door. “That… was weird.”
            “Very weird.” Lotte says.
            “What do you know about Claire’s dead?” Hermione asks suspicious.
            “Nothing.” I’m not even lying. Well, not really.
            Hermione doesn’t ask any further and walks to her desk to put down her books, but I don’t think she believes me.

            “NYAAAAAH!!!”
            “SHUT UP!”
            “Lotte, how many times do I have to tell you that yelling at the alarm clock won’t let it shut up.”
            “You do the same when your phone rings and you’re not in the mood to chat.”
            I think about that for a second. “True.”
            I turn off the alarm clock and get out of bed.
            “You do realize that you’ve got, like, the first two periods off, right?” Lotte asks.
            “Yeah.”
            “You’re going downstairs, aren’t you?”
            I look at Lotte and smirk as an answer.
            I open the wardrobe and pick a black dress and some red skinny jeans to wear.
            When I’m dressed, I walk to the door of our room, but Lotte yells me back.
            “You’re going now?”
            “Yeah, I’m not that hungry yet.”
            “Then shouldn’t you wear something on your feet?”
            “No.”
            She laughs.
            I open the door the same moment Lindsey passes by. I wonder what will happen.
            “Morning, freak.”
            I guess yesterday never happened.
            I close the door again and walk to the wardrobe.
            “Taking the backdoor?”
            “Yeah, I think a trip via Narnia will be nice.” I say as I open the hidden door in the back of the wardrobe and walk into the hidden passage. “See you later.”

            I open the door to the training center and bump into a pile of wooden boxes. I grab the upper one right before it falls. Jack really needs to clean up the storage.
            I push the door and walk to the other end of the center. At the door of Jack’s office I wait for a second and listen; I hear three voices, three people arguing.
            I knock on the door and wait.
            Jack opens the door almost immediately and looks at me surprised. “Since when do you knock?”
            “Since five seconds ago.” I walk to the door and see that Sirius and the Doctor are here too. “So, how’s the investigation going?”
            “We think we know what killed Claire.” Sirius says, looking from the Doctor to Jack to me.
            “Okay, what?”
            “Doctor.” Jack says, insisting that the Doctor tells the story.
            “She’s killed by Vondrax.” He starts.
            “What are Vondrax?”
            “The Vondrax are an alien species. Very old. Very ancient. They are able to travel in time and space. This sometimes creates parallel universes, which produces Tachyons, tiny particles that can travel faster than light. The Vondrax fed on Tachyons.”
            “And what’s this got to do with the murder?”
            “Nothing. I just thought it was a nice fact.”
            “Okay, then, can you go on, please?”
            “If you stop asking questions I will.”
            Jack muffles a giggle with his hand. Sirius just grins.
            “The Vondrax kill their victims just by looking into their eyes. That’s why Jack couldn’t find any trace.”
            “Because staring doesn’t leave traces. That’s, like, the perfect murder.” I say.
            “They are also capable of changing their appearances. For example, in Japan they appeared as Samurai, in Egypt as Gods.”
            “So they can change into someone their victim knows to get close to them. That… That’s brilliant.”
            “Brilliant? It’s how they live. The person who came up with the idea to use them, he’s brilliant.” Sirius says. “No leads.”
            “But, how do we know it’s them?” I ask.
            “Well, Aurora... Uh, professor Sinistra said she heard voices before she found the body. She described the voices as hissing, unnatural.”
            “Not human.”
            “Exactly. The only aliens with a hissing voice but with human appearances, who can kill their victims without leaving a trace, are the Vondrax.”
            “I see.”
            “We need to find them before they kill again.” Jack says.
            “You think they’re still here at school?”
            “Maybe. But what I’m sure about is that they’ll come back. They might appear as people we know, so we need to be careful.”
            “Okay. How are we going to stop them if we can’t look them in the eye? People often make eye contact.”
            “Wear sunglasses. Just like the Weeping Angels, they can’t look in their own eyes.” the Doctor answers.
            “So what? We’re going to persuade everybody to wear sunglasses, inside and outside the building, in January?” I ask him.
            “Don’t you think that’d be a bit strange?” Jack asks.
            “Oh, yes, but do you have any other options?” the Doctor asks.
            Jack thinks about that for a second. “Okay, no, but we should think of one, because the sunglasses are quite ridiculous.”
            “I agree.” Sirius and I both say.
            “Alright.” the Doctor says. “I think I should go now. I need to make some last preparations for History class.”
            “Since when do you prepare that?” Jack asks.
            “Since five seconds ago.” the Doctor answers with a big smile.

Chapter 16: D-e-d Dead

Days pass by and we just can’t find a new clue. Not even the smallest sign, nothing. Meanwhile it’s already Monday the 23^rd and we survived the test week. Now we only have to survive tomorrow.
            “7.8 out of 10 for Literature, 8.4 out of 10 for Biology and a 6.2 for Latin.” Lotte walks in, throwing her bag in one of the corners.
            “Nice,” I say, laying upside down once again (I like that, okay?). “but I got 8.9 out of 10 for Literature.”
            “Literature nerd.”
            “I got 7.9 out of 10 for Biology and a 6.0 for Latin though. Also, 7.6 out of 10 for Geography and 7.4 for Art. Loving my grade list so far.”
            “You got 6’s and 7’s and you love it?” Hermione says as she walks in.
            “OI! That is really good for me, ‘kay? I’m not such a good student as you are.”
            “Did you already get some grades back?” Lotte asks Hermione.
            “10 out of 10 for Biology, Literature and Geography. 9.8 out of 10 for Latin.”
            “Wow.”
            “Ugh. Now I feel sorry for only getting a 8.9 out of 10 for Literature.” I say.
            “I feel sorry for calling you a Literature nerd.” Lotte says.
            “You should feel bad for not studying.” Hermione grabs the books out of her bags and lay them on her desk.
            “I did study.” Lotte says.
            “I didn’t.” I say, and a pillow immediately flies my way. “It’s the only class I don’t have to study for getting a good grade. Let me have my fun!”
            “Okay, I take back what I said about feeling sorry for calling you a Literature nerd.” Lotte catches the pillow I throw back at her. “Literature nerd.” I smirk.
            “Who?” Chantal asks, walking in.
            “Beckett.” Lotte answers.
            “Of course.”
            “Hermione is a bigger Literature nerd. Guess what her grade is?” I say.
            “10 out of 10?”
            “Yep.”
            “But I did study.” Hermione says, reading the pages of her book.
            “Can’t we stop about the test week and the grades and all?” I ask as Lotte throws another pillow at me.
            “Sure. Have you already noticed something unusual?” Lotte asks.
            “Nope. You?”
            “Nope.”
            “Why would there be something unusual?” Chantal asks.
            “Why do you think?” Lotte asks Chantal. We explained everything to her, thinking it would be a good idea to have a third pair of eyes. Well, actually, a seventh pair.
            “Oh, right. Haven’t seen something, sorry.” Two animals race through the door, followed by a third. “Ah, there you are, Raven.” The small  ferret runs under Chantal’s bed, hiding for the Phoenix and the Lynx.
            “You know, sometimes I wonder if them chasing each other really is a game…” I say.
            “Me, too.” Lotte says.
            “It’s a game.” Chantal says.
            “Right, Miss animal-whisperer knows best.” I say, teasing Chantal. “Anyway, I think I’m going downstairs for some food. It’s probably gonna be an interesting day tomorrow.”
            “Why?” Hermione asks curious.
            “Well…” Chantal says.
            “You guys are talking about ‘unusual things’ and tomorrow being an interesting day. It’s not weird that I am curious. So, tell me, why?”
            “It’s… sort of… well, life.” Lotte says.
            “I’m sorry, what do you mean?”
            “Look at life this way, Hermione,” I say, “every day should be an interesting day or… or else  you won’t live it. And, well, unusual things…”
            “Unusual things lead to an adventure.” Chantal finishes my sentence.
            “Right…” It’s obvious Hermione doesn’t truly believe us.
            “So, who’s coming downstairs with me?” I ask.
            “Me!” Both Chantal en Lotte say and we walk as fast as we can out of the door.

The 24^th is here. It’s the fifth period and nothing happened, yet. Hermione, Kayleigh and I are sitting in Geography class, Hermione already reading the next Geography book, even though Sirius didn’t give us homework. Actually, class hasn’t even started yet.
            “Beckett!” Kayleigh pinches me in my side.
            “What?”
            “I’m bored.”
            “So?”
            “Start reading the new book.” Hermione suggests, still with her face hidden in her book.
            “Eh, no, but thanks for the suggestion.”
            “Why won’t you start up your laptop and do something on the internet? Play a stupid game, watch a movie.” I say.
            “Bo-ring.”
            “Okay then, here.” I write down a few ciphers, like the ones Lotte and I deciphered. “Try to decipher this.” I can see Hermione looking at the ciphers. She’s been keeping an eye on us in everything we do since yesterday evening.
            “Oh, is this pig pen?”
            “Maybe.”
            Kayleigh grabs a pen and start working. I wonder how long it will take her to discover I used ‘Boring’ as key.
            “Hello students, sorry I’m late.” Sirius walks in. “I had a little misunderstanding with professor Lestrange. Don’t worry, it’s all settled now.” He hands out a few papers. “This is the new assignment. Read it.” He says as he hands me the assignment. I look at my paper. A few letters are in italic. If Sirius is gonna send messages about the investigation in class, he needs to be more careful. This might be too easy.
            I look at the letters. “Nothing yet.” I’m starting to think we were wrong about the ciphers.
            Suddenly Kayleigh pokes me in my side. “I got it. Really, this wasn’t so hard.”
            “What is it?”
            “John, fetch me my revolver.”
            “No shit, Sherlock.”
            “Are there any questions about the assignment?” Sirius asks.
            Hermione raises her hand. As Sirius nods, she says: “Yes, professor, I’ve got a question.”
            “Yes, Hermione, so I’ve noticed. Now ask.”
            “Why are a few random letters in italic?” Yep, Sirius needs to be more careful.
            “I think that’s just a stupid mistake.”
            “If it’s a mistake, then why do these letters spell ‘Nothing yet’?” You know, if Hermione wouldn’t be in this class, Sirius would get away with sending messages in this way.
            “’Nothing yet’? That’s probably a weird coincidence. You should ask professor Moody, he created the assignment.”
            Hermione doesn’t look convinced, and she raises her hand again.
            Sirius ignores it. “Anyway, you’re doing this assignment alone. You have to write an essay about one of the subjects on the list.”
             “Professor…”
            “Not now, Hermione.” Sirius says before he goes on. “The essay needs to be hand in on the 30^th of March. Any more questions?”
            “Yes, professor, I…” but before Hermione can finish, there’s a loud scream. Everyone looks at the door. A few students in the back stand up from their chairs and walk towards the corridor.
            “Wait. Everybody stay here. I don’t want to see anyone of you outside. Is that understood?” Sirius walks away before the class can answer.
            Everyone starts talking, wondering what happened. The rumor is so loud, I can’t even hear myself think, but I did hear my phone vibrating in my bag.
            “You’re not afraid for spiders, are you?”
            I suppress a grin. I was thinking the same. We both don’t like changing into insects, though, but it’s the only way if we want to go unnoticed.
            I text Lotte back. “No.” It’s enough to let her know I understand the plan.
            “What are you going to do?” Hermione asks as I stand up.
            “I need to go to the toilet.”
            “We’re not allowed to go out.”
            “So? I need to go.”
            I don’t wait for Hermione’s answer and leave. It’s quiet in the corridor, but as I see Hermione looking through the small window, I walk to the ladies’ room. There I change into a spider.
            Ugh, how I hate being like this.
            I crawl to the stairs and listen. I hear noises on the floor upstairs, so that’s where I go.
            “I can’t believe it. A… A murder? Here? In school?” I hear professor Sinistra say.
            So it happened. It really happened.
            I crawl up the wall to the ceiling. That’s one of the fun parts of being a spider. When up there, I crawl towards the teachers. Professor McGonagall is holding professor Sinistra.
            “Sinistra found her. She’s in shock.” I hear. “Also, I hate being a spider.”
            “Me, too.” I think. “It was your idea.”
            “I know. I still hate it.”
            I crawl to spidery Lotte, one meter away of the teachers. “Who is it?”
            “Claire.”
            Even though I hated Claire, she didn’t deserve to die.
            “Do we need to inform the students?” Lupin asks.
            “Not yet.” Dumbledore answers.
            “What about Lindsey?” Sirius asks.
            “We should tell her, Albus. It’s her best friend.”
            “I know, Minerva, but if we inform her, the whole school will know in an hour. We’ll inform her later. For now, Jack, take the body and let Argus clean this up. Minerva, take Aurora for a nice cup of tea to calm her. The rest of you needs to go back to your class.”
            “What do we tell our students?” professor Babbling asks.
            “Tell them we’ll inform them later about what happened.”
            “We should go.” I think.
            “Yeah. See you after class.”
            I crawl back downstairs before the teachers start moving. I change back in the ladies’ room and make sure my hair is the usual color before I go back to the classroom.
            “I thought I said no one was allowed to leave?”
            I turn around. “Sorry.”
            “It’s okay. Now we won’t have to inform you later.”
            “How did she die?”
            “We’re not sure yet. We didn’t find any wounds. It could be poison. The Doctor suggested aliens were involved.”
            “Ah. Guess we’re going to investigate after class?”
            “Probably so. We should go to class now. No, wait.” Sirius says as I reach the doorknob.
             “What?”
            Sirius grins. “Hair. Black stripe.” 

Chapter 15: Ciphers

           “Miss van Leeuwen, don’t you have a class to attend?” It’s the first period of Wednesday and I’m sitting in the atrium, having breakfast.

            “Good morning, professor. I’m having my first class in the third period today.” I tell professor McGonagall.
            “Good. Maybe it’s a good idea if you go to the training center. Mr. Harkness and professor Black have found a new clue, they might need some help.” She turns around and leaves the atrium.
            I decide to do what professor McGonagall just told me, so I finish my plate and walk downstairs. “Morning!”
            “Morning…” I hear two voices mumble.
            “Well, that sounds exciting. What’s up?”
            “Here’s what’s up.” Jack hands me the bomb.
            “Aha…” I don’t understand. Well, I do understand they’re still investigating the bomb, but what’s so special? Wait a second, is that what I think it is? “Is that a code?”
            “Yep. Well, we think it’s a code. We don’t know if the characters are from a specific language yet, and what they might mean. It’s also possible they’re not from a language and…”
            “Yeah, yeah. You still have to decipher it. I get it.” I interrupt Jack, a bit annoyed. I’m not stupid. “I don’t think these are characters from a language. They’re too… square.”
            “We noticed.” Sirius says.
            “It could be Masonic.” I say, still studying the cipher.
            “I’m sorry, what?”
            “Masonic cipher. Also known as the pigpen cipher, or Freemason’s. It’s a geometric cipher. It’s quite a simple cipher.” Jack explains.
            “You do need a key, though.” I say. A key. Masonic cipher, bomb, Silence will fall… Silence. That’s it! “Here” I throw the bomb back to Jack.
            “Careful!”
            “What? It’s a fake. It’s not gonna explode when you drop it.” I grab a piece of paper and a pen and start deciphering. “Death.”
            “What?” The two men asks.
            “Death. It says ‘death’.”

After my classes I immediately go back downstairs. There appeared to be more ciphers on the bomb. “And? Got something more?”
            “Nope. We tried using ‘Silence’ and ‘Death’ as a key, but they didn’t work.”
            “We also tried some others. They also didn’t work.” Sirius points at a whiteboard that’s filled with words. Fluffy. Angel. School. TARDIS. Just to call a few.
            “Got any ideas?”
            I look at the ciphers, which are written down on another board. “Err… Coornhert. Doctor. Book. No, you already used that one. Cipher. Dumbledore. Pigfarts.”
            “Pigfarts?” Both men look confused.
            “Yeah. It’s a magical school. On Mars. The headmaster is a lion. Who can talk.”
            “Are you okay?” Sirius asks.
            “What’s up with the accent?” What accent?
            “Ugh. You guys are no fun.”
            “Maybe you should go to Pigfarts.” Jack teases.
            “I can’t go to Pigfarts. It’s on Mars. I need a rocket ship.” Ah. Now I notice the accent.
            “There’s the TARDIS.” Sirius says.
            “Yeah, but I don’t know how to fly her.”
            “To go back to the original subject; can you think of some more keys?”
            “Sure.” I look at the clock that hangs on the other side of the training center. “I should go back upstairs. Still got homework to do. I’ll also ask people. About the key, I mean.” I run upstairs and walk into the room. There’s one person that I know who knows a lot, and that specific person is sitting behind her desk. “Hermione!”
            “If it’s not about the test week you’d better not waste my time.” Right. We have a test week next week, what means Hermione is studying 24/7.
            “Alrighty then. Lotte!” I look around. “Okay… Hermione, where’s Lotte?”
            “Don’t know.”
            “And Chantal?”
            “Don’t know.” Well, that’s helpful.
            “Thanks anyway.” I walk back to the door, which opens as I want to grab the doorknob. “LOTTE!”
            “Hi!”
            “Can the two of you please be a bit more quiet? I’m trying to study.” I chuckle when Lotte rolls with her eyes.
            “Do you have any idea for a key?” I ask Lotte.
            “A key?”
            “Yeah, a key to decipher ciphers.”
            “What kind of cipher?”
            “Masonic. Wait.” I grab the blue notebook out of my bag. “Here.”
            Lotte flips through the pages that describe the ciphers. “The letters could be numbers.”
            “Okay… Listening.”
            “If you use ‘Silence’ as the key for all of these ciphers, you get 4 letter words, using the letters A ‘til J. 10 letters.”
            “10 digits.”
            “Exactly. So if we take it the easy way, CCAJ would be 2209, CGBA would be 2610, CBBC would be 2112 and so on.”
            “They’re dates.”
            “Really?”
            “Yeah. 2112. 21-12. My birthday. The day Umbridge accused us of the theft.”
            “I see.” Lotte grabs her school diary. “Here, 26-10. The Wednesday before Halloween.”
            “The day of the Weeping Angels.”
            “And Thursday 22-09. The day Fluffy was poisoned.”
            “Okay. CDBC makes 23-12, the day of the Silence, and AJAB makes 09-01, the day before yesterday.”
            “The day of the bomb.”
            “So if these ciphers are the dates of the incidents in the past…”
            “Then the other ciphers could be the dates of the incidents that are coming.”
            “That would mean the next incident will be on…” I write down the deciphering of the next code, “24-01.”
            Lotte flips through her diary. “That’s the Tuesday after the test week. So we’ve got a little bit less than two weeks to figure out what the next incident will be.:
            “I think we already know.” I say.
            Lotte looks at me. “Do you really think someone’s going to be murdered?”
            “We’d better tell Jack and Sirius.”

            “We deciphered the codes!” Lotte and I yell as we walk into the training center. We hear some stumbling coming from the office.
            “You know, I think we should wait here.” I say.
            “You’re probably right.”
            The door of the office opens. “What?! Oh, it’s you. What is it?” Jack stands in the opening.
            “Told you.” I whisper. Lotte grins. “We deciphered the codes.” I tell Jack.
            “Really?” Jack doesn’t sound very surprised. “What’s the key.”
            “Silence.” Lotte and I say.
            “That’s impossible.” I can hear Sirius say before he appears. “We worked with that key and could only make gibberish of it.”
            “Maybe, but what if those gibberish words would be numbers?” Lotte asks.
            “Numbers?” Jack asks.
            “Dates, to be precisely.” I say.
            “Dates? How can they be dates?” Sirius asks.
            “Yes, dates. The first five are the dates of the past incidents.” Lotte explains.
            “So we think the other dates are dates of coming incidents.” I continue.
            “Okay, what are the dates?” Jack asks.
            “Err…” I grab the notebook. “The ninth of February…”
            “The twenty-ninth of February…” Lotte continues.
            “The firth of April…”
            “The twenty-seventh of April…”
            “The tenth of May…”
            “The fourth of June…”
            “And the twenty-ninth of July.” I finish. Jack has written down all these dates.
            “We also think that the next incident might be a murder.” Lotte says.
            “Why?” Sirius asks.
            “Because of the word ‘death’. It’s in the same code, you need the same key to decipher it.” I say.
            “You’d almost think they want us to know.” Sirius says.
            “I don’t think it, I know it.” Jack says.
            “What do you mean?” Sirius asks.
            “They give us clues. It’s obvious they want us to know.” Lotte says.
            “Do you really think there’s going to be a murder?” Sirius asks.
            “I’m afraid so.” I answer.
            “I think she’s right. We’ve already been close to a murder before.” I wonder if Jack means the incident with the Weeping Angels or the one with the Silence. Kayleigh almost died at the first one, but the latter was also very dangerous. “It won’t be a surprise if there really is a murder going to happen. Look around if any of the students or teachers are acting strange. Try to find any more clues. We have to prevent this.”
            “Alright.” Lotte and I walk back to the stairs.
            “Wait.” We stop and turn back around. “If the headmaster of Pigfarts is a talking lion…” Jack starts,
            “What…” Lotte says.
            “And if Pigfarts is on Mars, does that mean Narnia can be found on Mars?”
            I smirk and walk away. 

Chapter 14: Bite Me!

            “Okay, so, why would someone place a fake bomb in the Room of Requirement?” Jack writes some things down on the whiteboard, while Sirius tries to make coffee. With the accent on ‘tries’. 

            I walk towards him, put a coffee pad in the machine and push the  button. “See? It’s not that hard.” I grab the mug that’s now filled with coffee and give it to Sirius before I put another coffee pad in the machine. I turn around to see what Jack wrote on the whiteboard while the machine does its job. The words ‘fake bomb’ and ‘Silence will fall’ are written down under the timeline, with an arrow connecting the ‘Silence will fall’ sentence with the Silence incident that happened right before Christmas. “Their trying to create panic.” I say.
            “Okay… Explain.” Jack leans back to the whiteboard.
            I give Jack the hot beverage. “They placed a bomb that wouldn’t explode in a room from which the existence is only known by few. The Room showed it in every situation, no matter what the Room was like. I’d say the one who placed it wanted it to be found, otherwise the Room wouldn’t be able to show it in other situations.” Fred explained me how the Room really works when we walked back to the training center.
            “That… is very well thought of you.” Jack turns back around and writes the words ‘create panic’ on the board.
            “Do you also got a theory about ‘Silence will fall’?” Sirius asks.
            “Uh, yeah. Well, sorta. That sentence refers to the incident that happened before this one. Just like the objects that were found at the earlier incidents. It doesn’t make really sense, though.”
            “What do you mean?” Jack asks.
            “It’s like the book page at the Angel incident. The Book was stolen after that. It was like a warning.”
            “But the Silence have already been here.” Fred notices.
            “Yeah, but what if that was a forerunner of what’s going to happen? I think the sentence ‘Silence will fall’ has two meanings. One, this incident is connected to the others. Two, there’s more to come. It’s possible that there will be another, more dangerous, incident including the Silence, though it’s also possible that ‘Silence’ refers to the last incident and ‘will fall’     refers to a next incident.”
            The three men think about that for a while.
            “That’s brilliant.” Sirius eventually says.
            “She is brilliant.” Jack points out.
            “Sometimes I just wonder how you’re able to figure things like this out.” Fred says.
            “Yeah, sometimes I wonder about that too.” I answer. “So, Jack, you said you got some more information about the Book?”
            “Yep. And once again, you were right. It’s full of information about all the teachers, about their backgrounds, their interests, their personal life. Everything. Some of them even have a criminal record.”
            “Really? Which teachers?” Fred asks.
            “Err… One of them would be me.” Sirius says.
            “Not so surprising.” I say.
            “Oi, you know what’s surprising? That you don’t have one yet.”
            “Oh! I’m not that bad!”
            “Well…” I send Jack a look.
            “He also got one.” Sirius says.
            “Also not so surprising.” Fred says.
            “I don’t have a record.” Jack says indignant.
            “Really?” I say, teasing Jack.
            “Whatever I did before I start working here is none of your business.”
            “What did you do before you started working here?” I  ask. “I mean, I know you’re immortal and all, so you must have done something.”
            “Ah, you know, traveled a lot, fought aliens, worked for this institute called Torchwood.” There’s something weird in the way Jack says this. Almost… Sad. “Anyway, we were talking about the Book. Except for the information about the teachers there are also maps of the school, with all the information you can imagine. Secret chambers, tunnels, weak spots.”
            “Wow. I can’t believe I was right about that.”
            “Yeah, you’re brain almost works like a criminal one.” Sirius smirks.
            “Oh, can we please stop about that?”
            Jack laughs. “He’s right. That’s what makes you so brilliant.”
            “I’m brilliant because I have a criminal brain?”
            “Err… Okay, let’s just forget that. Becky, Fred. I want you two to look around in school and try to find something that’s unusual, something that can help us. Look at the students and the teachers, how they behave, look around in classrooms if there’s something that doesn’t belong. I also want you to keep thinking about more theories.” I guess this means we’re finished for now.
            “Alright.” Fred starts to walk away,
            “Yes sir.” I answer Jack before I follow Fred.
            “Don’t sir me.”
            I turn back around. “Yes ma’am.”
            I can hear Jack smirk as Fred and I walk upstairs.

As it is already time for dinner, we walk to the atrium. Chantal, Lotte and George are already sitting at a table.
            “Ola.” I say as I sit down.
            “Hey. Where have the two of you been?” Chantal asks.
            “Training center.” Fred answers, stealing some fries from his brother’s plate.
            “Because of the bomb?” Lotte asks.
            “What? How do you know about that?” That happened, like, one hour ago.
            “The whole school already knows.” George says. “Don’t ask me how that’s possible, because I don’t know.”
            “Yeah, suddenly people were talking about it and the news spread quickly.” Chantal says.
            “Wow.” I say. “Maybe… Eh, no, never mind.”
            “What were you going to say?” Lotte asks.
            “Err… Well, I was thinking. Maybe the one who placed the bomb is the one who spread the rumor.”
            “Why do you think that?”
            “Because that would cause big chaos. Students would panic. The whole school would shut down to be sure no-one would get hurt.”
            “Seems legit.”
            “Now, what are my favorite criminals planning to do this time?” I turn around and face the most annoying guy of school; Dudley
            “Dudley, go away.” I try, even though I know it won’t work.
            “No. So, a bomb, eh?”
            “Yep, there was a bomb found. Now, leave. You still have a chance.”
            “So I’ve heard.” Dudley says, ignoring the second part. “I’m sure you are the one who have put that bomb in school.”
            “Why would we do that?” I try to stay calm. “We love it here.”
            “Yeah, right. And I have to believe that. You’re bloody terrorists you are. Those aliens, the theft. I’m sure it all has to do with you.”
            “I totally agree with Dudley.” Lindsey, one of the popular and very annoying girls, joins in, followed by one of her friends. “Who else would’ve done this than you freaks?”
            Oh, I hate that girl. “Excuse me, how did you just call us?”
            “Didn’t you hear the lady? That means you’re not only as stupid as you look, but also deaf.” Oh, wrong choice, Dudley, wrong choice.
            “Dudley, just wondering, have you ever looked in a mirror?”
            Looking at his face, that came out harsh. Good. “Oh, bite me.”
            “Really? Bite you?”
            “Yeah, that’s what I said. Bite me.” I grab Dudley’s arm and bit it. Hard. As I let go I can see a bite mark on his arm. “You bit me!”
            “Oh my God. Did you just bit him? Did she just bite him?” Lindsey stares at the bite mark, still not believing her own eyes.
            “You asked for it.” I say. “And you know what? You may be happy I didn’t punch you in the face.”
            “You wouldn’t dare.” Dudley snarls.
            “Really? Because I just dared to bite you. Daring to punch someone in the face is quite easy in comparison.” I hear Lotte, Chantal, Fred and George chuckle behind me. “Now, don’t accuse me or my friends ever again, or I will punch you in the face. Is that understood?” Dudley stumbles back and runs away as fast as he can, followed by his minions.
            Lindsey and her friend still stand in front of me. “Freak.”
            “Bitch.”
            “Lunatic.”
            “Whore.”
            Lindsey, suppressing a “Oh no, you didn’t.”, seems to notice that she won’t be winning this, because she turns around with a displeased look on her face. “Come on, Claire, let’s go.”
            “Now that was brilliant.” Fred says.
            I turn around. “Does anyone of you has something to drink for me? I want that Dudley-taste out of my mouth.”
            “Miss Van Leeuwen, I want to speak to you in my office. Now.” Once again I turn around, this time to face professor McGonagall. Oh crap. I follow the severe looking woman to her office at the -2^nd floor. She closes the door and turns around. “I have heard you bit one of the students. Is this true?”
            I don’t see the point in lying. “Yes, professor.”
            “I see. Now, can you tell me what happened. Mr. Dursley told me he was just talking to you and your friends when you became aggressive, though I’m not quite sure if I have to believe that.”
            I should’ve known. The big crybaby. “Mr. Dursley accused me and my friends for being responsible of the incidents that happened in the past months. He called me stupid and told me I could bite him. Of course, that was not meant as an invitation, but I took the chance to show him he is messing with the wrong person.”
            Professor McGonagall’s face is hard to read, but I can see her eyes light up a bit, like she’s approving of my defense. “Now tell me, miss Van Leeuwen, what was the reason of Mr. Dursley’s accuse? Why this moment?”
            “I was talking to my friends about the last incident, the bomb, and how quickly the rumor had spread. Mr. Dursley overheard us talking.”
            “You and Mr. Dursley have had some more misunderstandings from the start, is that correct?”
            “Yes, professor.”
            “And from what I’ve heard from my colleagues it is mostly Mr. Dursley who start those so said fights, am I rightly informed?”
            “Yes, professor.”
            “Then I’d say you had a very decent reason for the incident with Mr. Dursley and that there is no reason for punishment. However, if I hear anything more about a misunderstanding between you and Mr. Dursley containing not just words, I will have to expel you for a little while. Is that understood?”
            “Yes, professor.”
            “Before you go, you said something about the last incident. What do you know about that? And I want to know everything. I figured you’re helping Mr. Harkness and professor Black with the investigation.”
            “The bomb was found about 2 hours ago now, and the rumor was spread almost immediately.”
            “Alright, and your theory?”
            “The person who placed the bomb wanted it to be found. It is possible that he is also the one who started the rumor to create chaos.”
            “I can hear Mr. Harkness trained you well. I allow you to go on, on condition that your grades are staying at a good level.”
            “Thank you, professor. I’ll make sure my grades are top priority.”
            “Very well. You can go now.”
            “Thank you, professor.” I walk to the door.
            “Oh, and miss Van Leeuwen, I already talked to Mr. Harkness. If it gets too dangerous, you’re off the case. Be careful.”
            “Yes, professor. I will.”