Chapter 13: A Mystery in the Room

             “Okay, so, we already know the incidents are getting worse, and that there is something left behind from an earlier incident.” Fred’s walking through the room, while I lie upside down on my bed staring at the notebook I’m holding up.
            “Or from a later incident.” I say.
            “Right, the book page.”
            “We need to find out what’s written in that Book.”  As I say that, I drop the notebook and it lands on my chest. “Ugh. I hate gravity.” Fred only grins. “What?”
            “Nothing. It’s just…You’re adorable when you’re being clumsy.” I change position so I sit with my back against the wall. “And you’re hair looks nice like that.”
            I look up. The lock of hair I’m able to see is entangled. “Thanks.”
            “So, what’s your plan?”
            “To find out what’s in the Book, you mean? Well, maybe we can convince Jack or Sirius to ask McGonagall or Dumbledore what’s in it.”
            “That’s the plan?”
            “Yep. If we’re going to ask them ourselves about the Book, they will know we know about it and the only way we can know about the Book is because of Jack and Sirius, who are busy with the investigation.”
            “And in that way we’ll give ourselves away. I see.”
            “Good. Shall we go then?”

As we reach the training center I stand still. “Wait.”
            “Why?”
            I hold my hand up to shut him. “Jack!” I yell.
            It stays quiet for a while. “Yeah.”
            I grin and turn to Fred. “I just wanted to be sure.” I say.
            We walk to the small office. Jack stares at the white board on which he made a timeline of the incidents. Sirius is sitting on a chair, focused on his coffee mug. The tension makes me feel like I came once again on the wrong moment.
            Jack looks up. “Hey. What did you do with your hair? You should wear it more often like that.”
            “Thanks, but the only thing I did was lying upside down on my bed.”
            Jack grins. “Anyway, what did you came for?”
            “We want to know more about the Book.” Fred says.
            “You know what we know.” Sirius joins the conversation.
            “Yeah, I know.” I say. “But I think that if we know more about the Book it will be easier to go on with the case.”
            “And we can’t ask about it because that would give ourselves away.”
            “And so you want us to ask about it.” Jack says.
            “I don’t think they’ll give us the information.” Sirius  says thoughtful.
            “Why not?” I ask. “If you’ll say it will help with the investigation they’ll have to give you the information. They only want the best for the school and the students.”
            Sirius thinks about that. “Okay, that’s true.”
            “But why do you think it will help with the investigation?” Jack asks.
            “Well, I believe the persons who stole it might have stolen it because they need it. That would mean there’s information about the school in the book. Information about the vulnerable spots of the school, the most important teachers and their backgrounds, etc.”
            “Why do you think there are more persons involved?”
            “Because it’s too organized for just one person. Also, it’s probably very dangerous to smuggle strange creatures inside the school on your own.”
            “You are amazing.” Jack kisses me on the forehead and walks away.
            I turn around. “What are you going to do?”
            “Going to get information about the Book!” He yells back.
            “So… Do you got more or…?” Sirius asks.
            “Nop. This is all. For now.” I sit down on a desk.
            “You’re smart.”
            “I know.” I say.
            “Anyway, if this is all, we should go back now. We still have something to do.”
            I turn around to face Fred. “What do you mean?”
            “You’ll see.” He winks as he grabs my hand. “Come on.”
            “O…kay. Eh, I guess I’ll hear it later if Jack succeeded or not.” I say, while turned back to Sirius as Fred leads me away.
            “Sure thing.” He yells back.
            “Where the hell are you taking me to?” I ask Fred as he leads me up the stairs.
            “You’ll see.”
            “Stop saying that.”
            “Saying what?”
            “I hate you.”
            “No you don’t.”
            The both of us stay quiet while we walk back upstairs. At the -2^nd floor Fred turns around. “Close your eyes.”
            “Why?”
            “Close your eyes.”
            “Fine.” I close my eyes.
            “Did you close your eyes?”
            “No, I’m wearing contacts so it looks like my eyes are closed. Yes, I closed my eyes.”
            “Good.” We start walking slowly. Even though my eyes are closed,  I know we’re walking to the other side of the corridor. “Stand still a minute.” I hear Fred say. I want to ask him where we’re going once again, but I decide not to because I know how Fred will answer. “Okay, come on.” He says and we walk through a door. I think. As far as I know we’re at the end of the corridor where the teacher’s office are, but I’ve never seen a door in this wall. Am I wrong? I can’t be. My sense of direction is quite good, even when my eyes are closed.
            “Can I open my eyes now?”
            “Wait one second.” Fred answers. “Okay, yeah, you can open them.”
            When I open my eyes I can’t believe what I see. There are beautiful flowers everywhere, butterflies and small birds are flying around. There’s a small garden house on a small hill. I can’t believe this is all inside the school building.
            “Do you like it?”
            “Yeah. Where are we? We’re still in school right? How is this possible?”
            “Yep, we’re still in school. Don’t look so surprised. Nothing’s impossible. You always say that yourself.”
            “I know, but… I just never imagined there’s a garden in the school.”
            “It’s not just a garden.”
            I look suspicious at Fred. “What do you mean?”
            “We’re in the Room of Requirement.”
            “Okay. What does that mean?”
            “This room is not always here. It’s a secret room that only appears when someone needs it to be here. For example, right now I needed a room where you and I could be alone, without any chance of disturbance.”
            “I see. Why didn’t you tell me of its existence?”
            “Because George and I only found out about the room last week.”
            “Oh. So that’s what you had to ask Sirius about last Sunday.”
            “Yep.”
            “So… Why did you needed a room where we could be alone?” I ask, though I have a feeling I already know the answer.
            “I just wanted to hang out with you.” He smiles. “And even though I know you love to be outside, that isn’t really an option right now.”
            “Because it’s so cold.”
            “Yep, because it’s so cold.” Fred pulls me closes and his lips meet mine. “Shall we take a walk? I don’t think this is all there is.”
            We follow the trail that leads us to a small valley. When I look back I see a small door at the top of what now appears to be another hill. We pass a river and I can hear the noise of a lot of water falling down. “Is that a waterfall?”
            “Yes. Yes it is.”
            “You sound surprised.”
            “Well, the Room of Requirement is full of surprises.”
            I take another look around and can’t believe my own eyes. It’s all so beautiful. It’s like we’re in… Paradise. I can’t describe it otherwise.
            We walk further until we reach the garden house. It’s a beautiful small, round, white building with large windows and a spherical roof. There’s a swing hanging in the tree next to the garden house, ivy-grown. The tree self is filled with blossoms. It’s like I’m looking at a picture.
            “You know, this is quite the cliché picture of a romantic spot.” I say.
            “Yeah.”
            “I love it.” I really do. I’m quite the hopeless romantic in this kind of situations.
            Fred embraces me for another kiss. Everything’s perfect. The sound of the waterfall, the singing birds, the ticking noise… Wait, that doesn’t belong here.
            “Do you hear that?”
            “Hear what?”
            “That noise. That mysterious ticking noise.”
            “What ticki…”
            “If you stop asking ‘what ticking noise’ you might hear it.”
            We both listen. The ticking seems to come from the garden house. Fred and I look at each other before we move slowly towards the house. Fred opens the door. On a small bench in the middle of the house there’s a small package.
            “Bloody hell.”
            “You were right. The Room of Requirement really is full of surprises.” I say.
            “Come on. We have to get out of here.” Fred grabs my hand.
            “Basically, run.” I say. “Sorry, I had to say that.”
            We run back up the hill. When we reach the door, we look back around at the garden house.
            “Just… If that is what I think it is… Err… Shouldn’t it explode?”
            “Well, maybe it should, maybe it shouldn’t. It’s better if we inform Jack or Sirius about this.”
            “Yeah, you’re right.” I say.
            We go through the door and run to the stairs. When I look back, the door to the Room of Requirement has vanished. We run down the stairs. At the -5^th floor we run into Sirius.
            “Sorry!” I say.            
            “Whoa, be careful. Is something wrong?” Sirius asks when he notices that it’s us.
            “There’s a bomb. Well, we think it’s a bomb, but we’re not sure. There was this strange ticking noise coming from a small package, so…” I say.
            “Okay… Where?”
            “In the Room of Requirement.” Fred says.
            “Hey, I got some more information about the book.” Jack walks towards us. “Though I think that can wait. What’s going on?”
            “They found a bomb in the Room of Requirement.” Sirius answers.
            “Ooh. That’s not good. Where did you say it was?”
            “The Room of Requirement. On the -2^nd floor.”
            “Okay. Let’s go.” Jack runs up the stairs. Sirius follows.
            “Oh, come on! I’m not gonna run back upstairs!” I say, but Fred and I follow the two men anyhow.
            When Fred and I reach the -2^nd floor again, we see Jack and Sirius walk through the door of the Room. We follow them. Strange enough, the room is now a big, empty hall with the bench of the garden house in the middle. The small package is still on it. The ticking is now louder, mostly because of the echo.
            Jack walks slowly towards the bench and picks up the package. “Yep, this is definitely a bomb. Well, a fake one.”
            “A fake one?” I don’t understand this. How can a bomb be fake?
            “What do you mean?” Fred asks.
            “The wires are connected in a way the bomb does make the ticking sound, but it won’t explode.”
            “Why would someone place a fake bomb in the Room of Requirement? Only few people know about this place.” It seems that Sirius also doesn’t get it.
            “What’s that?” I now walk towards the bench. There’s something written on it.
            “What’s what? Oh, this. ‘Silence will fall.’” Jack reads out loud. “Well, I guess this means that we found ourselves another clue.”

Chapter 12: Mission Impossible

 Note: This chapter is also written by Lotte in her point of view. Check it out here: http://magicalmischief.blogspot.com/

           

           “NYAAAAAAH!”
            “Shut up!”
            “Tubbs, seriously? Shouting at the alarm clock won’t stop it.”
            “Than you, captain obvious. Can you shut the thing down now?”
            “Yeah, yeah.” I reach toward the still screaming alarm, but stop when I see Chantal. “What in the name of God does it take to wake her up?!” I nod in Chantal’s direction while I shut the alarm off. Chantal’s still sleeping, mouth opened, with her arms and legs spread in four different directions over her entire bed.
            “Let’s find out.” Lotte says mischievously and she gets out of bed.
            I laugh and get out of bed as well. “So, what do we start with?”
            “Well, we know a plant sprayer works, so let’s cross that one of off the list. How about drawing on her face?” I can feel my face light up and start nodding.
            “Like the moustache?” I ask while drawing it on Chantal’s  face.
            “It’s lovely, but I personally think she needs whisker as well. By the way, isn’t that a permanent marker?” Both our eyes flicker to the label on the marker. We look at each other panicked.
            “Why don’t we get ready quietly and head downstairs, like, as fast as we can.” I say. Lotte nods and gets her stuff. I grab some clothes and put them on; kaki colored pants, a grey sweater and my Doc. Martens boots. I look at Lotte, who’s already fully dressed. Must be some new record. “You better take your make-up with you and put it on later.” I say. Lotte nods and grabs her beauty case and we head out the door.
            “Shouldn’t we at least wake her up?” Lotte asks. I can hear in her voice that she feels a bit guilty.
            “Yeah, we should.” I open the door and throw a notebook at Chantal. “Wake up! We’re leaving and we drew on your face, bye!”I shut the door and Lotte and I run away. I can hear Chantal yell.
            We walk into the still very quiet atrium with our bags hanging over our shoulders. Hermione sits at a table, studying. We walk towards her and put our bags on the table.
            “Good morning, sunshine!” Lotte says a little over-enthusiastic.
            “Morning.” Hermione turns the page of her book.
            “You do know all of Bellatrix’s lessons are cancelled, right?” I ask doubtfully as I notice Hermione’s book is a Geography book.
            “Oh, come on Becky, cut the girl some slack. She has Lestrange as her teacher. If you don’t do your homework, she’ll flip you out the window! Or worse…” We all shiver at the thought. “Anyhow, I’m gonna get myself a sandwich.” Lotte walks to the canteen.
            “Morning!” Fred sits down next to me and gives me a kiss. “How are you today?”
            “I’m fine. I just wish Literature class got cancelled today.”
            As Lotte and George are walking towards us, I hear Lotte say: “Oh, I’d be happy to switch shoes with you.” Fred and I laugh. I wonder what this is all about.
            “Ah, too bad, I’m afraid we don’t have the same size.” George says sarcastically while he sits down.
            “I’m sure there’s a spell for that.”
            “You could use…” Hermione starts.
            “No use for that, now I have something to ask.” Hermione is clearly not amused George just cut her off.
            “Becky!!” I look up and see Chantal running toward me, with the little moustache still above her lip. It seems Chantal tried to scrub it off, because the skin around the moustache is red. I run away as fast as I can. I feel sorry for using a permanent marker, but when I look at Chantal’s face, I have to admit it’s still quite hilarious. When I’ve reached the other end of the atrium, I remind myself that Lotte helped me.
            “Wait, wait! Lotte did it too!” I scream.
            Chantal decides to turn to Lotte and the last runs away as well. Lotte and I both run to the far left corner of the room. “I will kill you!” Chantal screams while following.
            I get an idea and stop running. “Okay, but before you do that, we just want to tell you we love you, Chantal.” I walk over to her and give her a hug. Lotte does the same, and I can see she gets the plan. We both run to Fred and George as fast as we can.
            “Protect us!” Lotte yells. I hide behind Fred while Lotte hides behind George.
            “Of, forget it already!” Chantal sighs as she gives up. “Hermione, isn’t there a spell that can help me or something?”
            Hermione looks pleased. “Sure.” She mumbles a few words and the moustache on Chantal’s face disappears.
            “So we cool?” Lotte asks. Chantal nods. “Good. You wanted to ask me something?” Lotte turns to George. Chantal looks at me like she’s asking if she’d missed something, so I just shake my head.
            “Uh, yeah, could you take a look at my Math’s homework? I don’t really get it.”
            “You know, I would never ask you to help me with my Math’s homework.” Fred whispers in my ear.
            “I hate you.” I whisper back to him. Fred loves to tease me with the subject of Math’s because I’m not that good in it.
            “No you don’t.”
            “Awh, how sweet! Maybe a room would be nice for the two of you?” I look up. I guess I just missed something. Dudley stands next to table, looking in the direction of Lotte and George.
            “Morning Dudley, how was your weekend?” I say, with a threatening voice.
            Now Dudley turns to me. “Same old, same old. I was planning on doing something with my friends here,” he points at his two minions on each side of him, “but then I saw you all sitting here and figured we could have some fun together.” Oh, how I hate that guy.
            “No thanks, we’re just fine with sitting here by ourselves. Bye Dudley!” Lotte says.
            “Now that’s not so nice, is it, Tubbs?” I can see in Lotte’s eyes that she didn’t like the way he just said that.
            “No, but interrupting some friends for whatever dumb way you have now of getting us expelled, isn’t nice either. So if you’d go now, we’d appreciate it.”
            “You go, girl.” I whisper so softly no one but me hears it.
            “But I love your company.” Yeah, right.
             “I don’t. Bye now!”
            “I’ll see you in class.”Dudley and his minions leave the atrium.
            “Thank God, he’s gone.”
            “Yeah, but why does he get on your nerves so much?” George asks.
            “I just hate people like that.”
            “Okay, anyway, I heard you had the first three periods off.” Fred says.
            “Yeah, with Chantal, Simone and Lisanne, Voldy’s lessons are cancelled as well.”
            “Heard he’s ill, what could he have?” I ask.
            “Killing disease, you get it if you use Avada Kedavra too often.” Lotte says.
            I decide to continue the joke. “Symptoms: pain in the arm from waving your wand too much.”
            “A sore throat from yelling too loud.” Fred wants in on it too.
            “Dizziness from dancing around too wild after your kill.” George ends.
            “And Bellatrix is also on leave, right?” Fred asks after we stop laughing.
            “Yeah, maybe it’s an STD.”
            “George! Mental images!” Lotte yells.
            “I sure hope you don’t have it.”
            “Why would that matter to you? You’re not getting any anytime soon.”
            “We’ll see about that.” George gives Lotte a kiss.
            “As much as I’d love to see you two lovebirds make out, I have a class to attend. Bye.” Hermione walks away.
            “Don’t you have that class together?” Fred asks me as he slips his arm around my waist.
            “Yeah, but it doesn’t start until ten minutes. Hermione’s always early.” I answer.
            “Yeah.” The others nod.
            “When are you done with school today?” Fred asks.
            “Err, after the eight period. Why?”
            “I thought we could do something together.”
            I smile. “That sounds nice, but I was planning to do some research for the...” How am I going to call it? “The sabotage case…” I end my sentence with a bit of uncertainty in my voice.
            “The sabotage case? Seriously? Is that what you’re planning to call it?”
            “I know. It doesn’t sound catchy, but it’s straight to the point. And how should I call it otherwise?”
            Fred thinks about that for a few seconds. “Okay, there you got a point. But what about… Case Cobra.”
            I raise my eyebrow. “Case Cobra? Yeah, that sounds original.” I notice that Lotte leaves the table, and George is also getting up to leave. Chantal is already gone. “Where’s everybody going?”
            “I don’t know.” Fred answers.
            I take a look on the clock hanging above the canteen. “I should also go. Class is starting in a minute. See you in the break.” I give Fred a kiss before I walk away.

As I walk to the usual spot in the first break, someone grabs my hand and makes me do a pirouette. I smirk. “Hey.” I say.
            “Whoa, you sound tired? What’s wrong?”
            “Nothing. I’m just tired. Exhausting Literature class. Shall we go to the spot, it’s getting crowded here.” I say as the corridor is being filled with all the students who are getting out of their classes.
            “Sure. Hey, I was wondering if I could help you with your research after school?” I can hear in his voice that he figured I’m really serious with the investigation. “I mean, with Case Underground.”
            “What’s Case Underground?” Meanwhile we’ve reached the spot and Liza and Kyra look at the two of us with curiosity.
            “A project we’re working on.” I say quickly. “Also, Case Underground? Are you serious?” I whisper in Fred’s ear.
            “Yeah, that one sucks. I’m trying to come up with some better names. We talk about that later, okay?” He gives me a kiss.
            I sit down. Never thought a Literature class could be so exhausting.
            “Lotte!” Laura yells.
            I look up and see Lotte being hugged by Laura as George walks to his twin. “Hey, Tubbs, George.”
            “Hey guys! So, there’s something I want to talk to all of you about.” Everyone looks at Lotte. I wonder what this is about. “George and I were talking about a prank we want to pull on Voldemort.” I already love this.
            “What’s the plan?” Fred asks.
            “We’re going to film Voldy and edit the video material so it looks like he’s dancing.”
            “And then we’ll make sure the video is shown at the assembly this Thursday.” George continues.
            “There’s an assembly?” Kayleigh asks.
            “Yes, it’s an information assembly for the kids who are in their last year of elementary school and their parents about this school.” I say.
            “That’s this week already?” Simone asks.
            “Yep, the school is early this year.” Kyra says.
            “Anyway, I’ve heard some first years talk about the same idea, so we can make it look like it was them who did it.”
            “You can’t just do that. I refuse to help.”
            “Why are you always such a buzz kill, Hermione?” George asks.
            “May I lock her in the toilet?” Fred looks hopeful.
            Ron looks angry at is brother. “Don’t you dare.”
            “There’s no cupboard around here.” Fred says.
            “You’re not locking her up!”
            We can hear the bell ring. “There’s still a lot to talk about. Everyone back here during lunch?” Lotte asks. Everyone nods in agreement.
            “Was you really planning to lock her up?” I ask Fred.
            “No… Maybe… Okay, yes, I was. Don’t look at me like that.”
            I smirk and kiss him. “Oh, by the way, it would be great if you’d help me with the case. Just don’t call it Case Cobra or Case Underground, kay?”
            “Then what can I call it?”
            “I don’t know. Just think of something better.” I give him another kiss and walk to class.
            “What about Case Candlelight?!”    
            “No!”
            “MI Coornhert.”
            “I like that one!”

Chapter 11: The Start of an Investigation

            “Are you sure?” Lotte and I are unpacking our suitcases. It’s the last Sunday of the holiday and I tell her my suspicions. “You really think there’s a connection between those four incidents?”
            “Yeah, I’m sure of it.”
            “But you don’t know what the connection is?”
            I turn around. “I have absolutely no idea.”
            Lotte stops unpacking and sits down. “You know, if someone else had said the exact same thing I would think he or she had gone mad. You’re already mad, so that’s impossible.”
            I laugh. “Why, thank you.”
            “Okay, but even though the Doctor said  not to investigate the incidents, you are going to do it.”
            “Yeah, well, the Doctor said we have to tell him if we see another strange creature, not that we’re not allowed to investigate.”
            “Ah, you’re being sneaky. Nice.”
            “Who is being sneaky?” I turn to the door, where both Fred and George are standing.
            “Beckett is.” Lotte says.
            “Really?” George walks to Lotte and gives her a kiss. “Hey gorgeous, haven’t seen you in a while.”
            “I like it when you’re being sneaky.” Fred gives me a kiss. “But why are you being sneaky?”
            “Well, do you remember the incident with Fluffy, and the object that has been stolen from the teacher’s vault?”
            “Do you know what that object is?” George asks.
            “Eh, no. Anyway, there also have been the incidents with the Weeping Angels and the Silence.”
            “The what?” Fred asks.
            “The Silence. Long story, they have been in school right before the holiday.”
            “Ah.” Both boys say.
            “Anyway, the Doctor said something about these incidents not being the last, and now Beckett wants to investigate them even though the Doctor didn’t allow it.” Lotte finishes.
            “Well, he didn’t say we’re not allowed to investigate. He said we have to tell him if we see another creature that doesn’t belong here.” I say once again.
            “I see. You’re pretending like it wasn’t a real warning.” George says.
            “Exactly.”
            “Can we help?” Fred asks.
            “I already hoped you’d ask that.”
            “So, that’s a yes?” Lotte asks.
            “Yep.”
            “Cool. How do you want to start?” Fred asks. I can see his eyes twinkle when he looks at me.
            “Well, I thought it would be a good idea if we would check what the teachers know. I was thinking about visiting Jack today.” I say.
            “Good idea. We could visit Sirius.” Lotte says.
            “Fred and I come with you to Sirius. We have something to ask about the Map.” George says.
            “Have you found another secret passage way?” I ask.
            “Oh, c’mon. I was trying to be mysterious.”
            “Sorry.” I say. “Anyway, shall we go immediately?”
            “Yeah, sure.” Lotte says.
            “You’re really curious about this, aren’t you.” Fred says while Lotte and George already walk to the door.
            “Of course I am. My middle name is ‘curious’.”
            “I thought that was ‘stubborn’?”
            I laugh. “Yeah, that’s also possible. Come on, let’s go.”

When I walk into the training centre, I hear noises coming from the office next to the shooting area. I guess Jack’s working. I push the door to the office, but stop and stand in the door opening. Jack and Sirius are lying on the floor, both shirtless and kissing each other. Yeah, awkward.
            I want to walk back, but they’ve already noticed me.
            “Sorry.” I say.
            Jack sighs and stands up. “Eh, that’s okay. I think. What do you want?”
            “Well, it’s not really important. I, eh…”
            “You’re already here, now say it.” To my surprise, Jack doesn’t even sound bothered. I know better, though, but Jack will probably be more bothered when I leave now.
            “Right. First, I’m really, really sorry that I disturbed you and…Wow, nice abs, Sirius.”
            “Becky.”
            “I’m sorry, but I’m a teenage girl and there are two half naked and good looking men in front of me. You’d be distracted too if you were in my place. Anyway, I was wondering what you know about the incidents that happened in the last months.”
            “I told you she’d come for this soon.” Sirius says.
            Jack sighs. “What do you want to know?”
            “Well… Wait, you’re going to tell me?”
            “Yep.”
            Sirius grins. “You’re going to find it out anyway.”
            “Yeah, you’re probably right.” I say. “Anyway, the Doctor said these incidents wouldn’t be the last, so I figured there must be some connection between the incidents.”
            “You are good. You should become a detective later.” Sirius sits down on one of the chairs.
            “I keep telling her that. You’re right, there is a connection between the incidents.”
            “There is?” I’m surprised my suspicion is true.
            “Yes. We have found evidence at every incident that leads to the incident before that one.”
            “When the Book was stolen from the vault, we found hair from Fluffy strapped to a letter that said “This is only the beginning”.” Sirius continues.
            “The Book? There was a book in the vault?”
            “Yes. It’s probably a very important Book with some very important stuff written in it, because professors Dumbledore and McGonagall don’t want to tell us why it’s so important.”
            “You just said important three times.” I say to Sirius.
            “Yeah, well, that defines how important it is, doesn’t it?”
            “Anyway, after the incident with the Weeping Angels we found a page of the Book on the exact same place as were the Angels were found.” Jack continues the story.
            “And at the nest of the Silence we found a tiny angel statue.” Sirius says.
            “This is the only thing we know about it. Sirius and I are asked to investigate it.”
            “But we can always use some help from four very talented and very sneaky kids.”
            “Ah, well, I think those four kids would love to help.” I say.
            “Great.” Jack and Sirius both say.
            “Well then, I think I should tell them that we are going to help you, so I’m going to leave you two alone again and go back upstairs.” I say and I walk back to the stairs.
            “Becky…” I hear the two man say so I turn back around.
            “Can you promise to keep this a secret? I mean, both things…” Jack says.
            “With the exception of Lotte and the twins, of course. They’ll found out anyway.” Sirius concludes.
            “I promise.” I say.

As I walk upstairs to the first floor, I meet Lotte and the twins wandering around on the -2^nd floor.
            “Hey, have you seen Sirius? He’s not in his office nor in his classroom.” Lotte says when she sees me.
            “Eh, yeah. He was downstairs with Jack. And they were busy, so if you want to ask him something about the Map you should wait.” I say, knowing the boys would go back downstairs if they had the chance.
            “Okay, busy with what? And did they gave you the information you wanted?” Fred asks.
            “I’m not sure if I should answer the first. But the second: yes. There is indeed a connection between the incidents and they are sure there are more incidents to come. Jack and Sirius are investigating all this and they asked if we could help them. I said yes.”
            “So, we’re allowed to investigate the incidents?” George asks.
            “Well, Jack and Sirius allow us to, but we have to keep it a secret.”
            Fred and George both grin. “I see.”
            “Anyway, at every incident they have found something of the incident before.” We walk upstairs to the locker room, where we go to the passage to the other building. There we stand still. “They found Fluffy’s hair in the vault with a note that said “This is only the beginning.”. The object that has been stolen is some sort of very important Book. Jack and Sirius don’t know why it’s so important. Anyway, they found a page of this Book on our lunch spot; the place where the Angels were found. And at the nest of the Silence they found a tiny angel statue.”
            “But the incident with the Angels was before that Book was stolen. How can there be a page of the same Book on the spot where the Angels were when it wasn’t stolen yet?” Lotte asks.
            I hadn’t thought about that yet. “I don’t know. Maybe they are in the possession of a time machine. Or they stole the TARDIS.”
            “No, it’s not that last option. Nobody but the Doctor knows how to fly that box.” Lotte says.
            “It could also be that they made a duplicate of a page to let us think they have a time machine.” George says.
            “Nice thinking. That would mean this is all very well organized.” I say. I grab the blue notebook out of the pocket in my sweater and open it.
            “So that’s how you’re using the notebook. Do you like it?” Fred asks.
            “Yeah, it’s really cool. Really useful too. Thanks.” I give Fred a kiss.
            “How did that fit in your pocket?” George asks.
            “Big pockets. I like big pockets in a sweater.” I answer. “Anyway, now we know that the unknown suspects are organizing this all very well. This probably means they’re taking this very serious and that they are trying to sabotage the school. Anything more?”
            “Well, they’re also trying to confuse us.” Lotte says.
            “The incidents get worse, too. The one with Fluffy was still a bit innocent, while the one with the Silence apparently was more dangerous. Eh, Chantal told us the whole story.” Fred continues when he looks at my slightly confused face.
            I write down these things. “I guess that’s all we have right now.” The three others nod in agreement.
            “Now, why are you not sure if you should tell us what Jack and Sirius were busy with?” George looks curious.
            “Well, it was kind of awkward.” I say. I still don’t know if I should tell. “Did you know Sirius is gay?”
            It stays silent for a while. “You’re kidding.” George finally says.
            “I think I know what was so awkward.” Lotte says.
            “I think I know why you didn’t allow us to go back downstairs.” Fred says.
            “Was it, like, really awkward, or just awkward?”
            “George, that question was very vague.” I answer. “But it was ‘just awkward’. They were shirtless and kissing, and lying on the floor, but that’s it.”
            “Did you just say they were shirtless?” Fred asks.
            “Yes, and they looked good. And don’t look at me like that. It’s not like I don’t like you shirtless.” I say. “Well, I’ve never seen you shirtless, but…”
            “Ah, I can make that happen.” Fred makes a start to take off his shirt.
            “That was not an invitation to start stripping.” I say. Not that I don’t like it.
            Fred stops and smirks. “What? Don’t you like the idea of my shirtless body?” He embraces me for a kiss.
            “You do realize we’re not alone, right?” I ask. When we look up we see that Lotte and George are kissing too.
            “I don’t think they mind.” Fred says and he kisses me again. 

Chapter 10: A Silent Christmas

“Beckett! How are you?” Kayleigh sits down on the chair on the other side of the table.
            “Fine, I guess.  Still got a bit of a headache.” I say while I put my book down.
            “Oh right. That’s why you didn’t come to the Christmas prom.”
            “Yeah. I went early to bed in the hope I would wake up without a headache. Sadly, that wish didn’t come true.”
            “Ahw. You really  live on solar energy, don’t you?”
            I smile. I always get sick when the days are getting shorter. “Just like half of the world.”
            “I think it’s more like seventy five percent of the world. Maybe even more.”
            “True. Hey, what’s that on your arm?”
            Kayleigh looks confused. “What do you mean?” I point at the three black stripes on her left arm. “Oh. Well… I don’t know.”
            “You don’t know? It looks like it’s made with… Permanent marker? You have written on your arm with permanent marker?”
            “I can’t remember I did this, okay? Or why I did this. I was in classroom 13 and when I left the place I had these three stripes on my arm.
            “Right… Anyway, I think I’m going to get my stuff for the next two weeks. It’s getting quite busy down here and that’s not helping with my headache.”
            “Why don’t you take an aspirin?”
            “I did, though it didn’t work. They never work. And they make me nauseous.”
            “I see. I think I also should start packing. I don’t know what to take home.”
            “Eh, laundry, clothes, homework. That kind of stuff.”
            “Homework? Really?”
            “You do realize we have a test week coming up, right?”
            “Right. Homework.”

I walk through the room, trying to find a few school books and some clothes. I think the only one who tries to keep the room clean is Hermione. I pick up one of the notebooks that are lying on the floor. Chantal’s Math’s notebook. I throw it on Chantal’s bed and pick up another book. It’s one of my Geography booklets. I throw it at my bed. Pyrite walks to me from under the bed, dragging another book with her. “Hey sweetie, what do you got there?” I walk towards her and pick up the book. It’s my book for art class, the book I had been searching for. “Thank you, dear.” I pet Pyrite on the head and walk back to my bed to start putting the books in my suitcase. The next moment there’s a knock on the door. “Come in.” I say. When the door opens, I suddenly hear something and take a look at the walk-in closet.
            “Good morning, gorgeous.” I turn back around to the door and see Fred walking in. “Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Well, that’s not so weird here, actually.” He grins.
            “Yeah, I’m fine. I just thought…”  I look back to the closet. “There was something…Well, I don’t know.” I’m quite confused now.
            “That headache isn’t doing you any good, is it? You should take a rest.”
            “I did. I went to bed early yesterday, remember? That’s why I didn’t went to the prom.”
            Fred walks towards me and takes my head in his hands. “Are you sure you are okay? Because you kinda look awful.”
            “Yeah, that’s something a girl likes to hear.”
            He smiles. “So, what are you planning to do in the Christmas holiday?”
            I free my head and go on with my packing. “Well, I’ll spend Christmas and New Year’s with my family, and I’ll probably study a lot. Why?”
            “You should rest.”
            “You sound like my mom if you talk like that.”
            “Maybe. But I mean it. You look really tired.”
            I turn around to face him. “You know, you’re kinda sweet when you’re worried.”
            He only smiles and kisses me. 

            “When are you going home?” he asks while holding me close.
            “Tonight.” I answer. “You?”
            “I’m leaving in an hour. I thought we could go and do something until then.”
            “What do you want to do then?”
            “I don’t know. Snowball fight?”
            “Well, I still got a bit of a headache, but maybe the fresh air will do me good.” I say. I pick up my jacket and a scarf. Fred takes my hand and together we walk out.

There are a lot of people outside already. Snowmen are standing everywhere and there are a few people busy making a snow-hut. Snowballs are being thrown and there are a few guys trying to walk over the frozen lake. It’s good to smell the fresh air of the winter season. A snowball is being thrown in our direction and hits Fred. We both look up and see George and Lotte standing a few meters away, snowballs in their hands. Fred looks at me.
            “Shall we?”
            We both grab some snow and form it into a ball before throwing them at George and Lotte. I hide behind a car to avoid one of the balls being thrown at me, but when I sit there I  get hit in the back. I turn around and see Fred standing there with a big grin on his face.       “Okay, that’s mean.”
            “What? This?” He throws another snowball at me and I duck to avoid it.
            “Oh, it’s on.” I say and throw a ball in Fred’s direction before I run away.  A few meters away I turn around and throw another ball while avoiding another ball being thrown in my direction. I run away again.
            “Hey, what’s wrong?” I turn around. Fred walks towards me.
            “What do you mean?”
            “You suddenly stopped running.”
            I can’t remember I did that. “I stopped running?”
            “Yeah. You just stood here and when I threw a snowball, you didn’t react.”
            “Okay… I really can’t remember that.”
            “Are you sure you feel alright?”
            “Yeah, I guess I just got distracted or something. My mind is playing games with me.”
            “Fred! We’re going to leave in five minutes!” Fred turns around. I can see Mrs. Weasley standing in front of the school.
            “I’m coming.” Fred yells back before he turns back around. “Come on, I need to give you something.”

I sit down on Fred’s bed while he grabs something out of his closet. It’s a miracle the room is so neat; the last time I came here it was a bigger mess than my room.
            “Here.” Fred hands me a package.
            “What is it?”
            “You’ll see on Christmas. Only then you’re allowed to open it.”
            “You know I’m a curious person! Though I also think it’s sweet. Thank you.” I say and give him a kiss.
            “I know. I got to go now, before mom gets angry. You promise you’ll rest a bit in the holiday?”
            “I promise.”
            “Good.” He kisses me.

When I walk into my room I see that Chantal is also busy packing. Her iPod is in the speakers and is playing a very strange song.
            “Hey Chantal. What are you listening to?”
            “Oh, hey Beckett. It’s a song called…” she takes a look on her iPod. “Enjoy the Silence.”
            “Ah. Well, it’s weird.”
            “Yeah, I know. This is the first time I listen to it. What do you got there?” She points at the package.
            “It’s a Christmas present from Fred.”          
            “Okay, and why haven’t you opened it yet?”
            “I’m not allowed to open it before Christmas.”
            Chantal smirks. “Good luck with that.”
            “I’m going to get some food for lunch. Are you coming with me?”
            “Neh, I already had some.”
            “What’s for lunch today?”
            “Tater tots, salad en soup.”
            “Sounds good.”
I open the door to the atrium and immediately get hugged by a small redheaded girl.  “Becky! How are you?”
            “I’m fine, thanks for asking. Nas, can you let go, please? You’re crushing my ribs.”
            The girl lets go. “Sorry.”
            “It’s okay. How are you?”
            “I’m fine. Are you coming to the see the Orchestra later today?”
            “Uh, yeah. Sure. I’ll come.”
            “Yay!” Nastja hugs me again.
            “Nastja, I think you’re crushing her again.” Ernö joins the conversation. “Hi Becky.”
            “Hi. And thanks.” I say after Nastja releases me again.
            “You’re welcome. So, you’ll come to see us perform?”
            “Yeah. When are you performing, actually?”
            “In two hours.”
            “You’re hair is cool.” I look at Nastja who is making a braid with my hair.
            I smirk. “Thanks. What’s that on your arm?” I ask when I see the two black stripes on Ernö’s arm.
            “I don’t know.”
            “That’s strange. Kayleigh too has stripes on her arm and she also can’t remember why or when she made them.”
            “Ha. That’s strange indeed. Who knows. It’s probably nothing.”
             “Yeah, who knows.”
            “Becky! Good to see you, I need to talk to you.” Amy appears next to us and grabs my arm to drag me along.
            “Wait. Nas, let go of my hair.”
            “But I’m not finished yet.”
            “Sorry. See you in two hours.”
            Amy drags me upstairs. There’s nowhere around, so she turns to me. “Here put this on.” She hands me an eye drive, like the one she was wearing with Halloween, and I see she’s also wearing one.
            “Why? What’s going on?”
            “Put it on.”
            “Okay, fine.” I put the eye drive on and I feel a little shock. I want to get it off my face again, but Amy grabs my arm.
            “Don’t. The little shock you just felt was the eye drive making connection with your brain. That’s a good thing.”
            “Okay, and why is that a good thing?”
            “Because you will remember what I’m going to say and what I’m going to show you. Here, look.” She shows me her arm. It’s full of black stripes.
            “What’s all this with the stripes? Kayleigh and Ernö also had a few on their arms.”
            “That’s because they saw the Silence.”
            “The Silence? What do you mean with that?”
            “Haven’t you had one of these moments when you suddenly forget what you were doing?”
            “Sorta.”
            “That’s because you’ve seen the Silence.”
            “I don’t get it.”
            “When you see the Silence and you look away, you immediately forget them.”
            I think about that for a second. “Okay, sounds reliable. But why are you telling me this?”
            Amy grins. “Because you’re going to help me get rid of them.”
            “Them? As in plural?”
            “Yes, of course. Have you ever seen a monster alone? They always come in groups. Even Fluffy has three heads.”
            “Okay, I get it. So, you got a plan?”
            “Of course I've got a plan. How do you want to fight monsters without a plan?”
            “I don’t know, improvise? I mean; what’s your plan?”
            “I don’t know yet.”

            “You won’t need a plan.” Both Amy and I turn around to face the Doctor. “Come with me.” I look at Amy, who shrugs and follows the Doctor. I also follow and we walk to the Doctor’s class room. Kayleigh, Ernö, Rory and Chantal are sitting on tables. The Doctor turns around and faces us. “Okay,  before you sit down, give me those… thingies you’ve got in your eye.”
            I hand over my eyedrive, but Amy refuses. “But…”
            “Give it.”
            “Fine. Here. And it’s called an eyedrive.”
            The Doctor ignores Amy. “Now, I know you were going to fight against aliens all by yourselves. First, that was not a good idea. You could’ve got killed when you did. Second, there’s no need to fight them anymore. They’re already gone.”
            “But they were here, like, one minute ago.” Amy says.
            “Amy, have you forgotten that I am in the possession of a big blue box in which I can travel through time and space?”
            “Right. I see.” Amy answers.
            “Anyway, I want to warn you. Some strange things happened in the last few months and it seems like they won’t be the last strange things to happen. Anyway, if you ever see a strange creature here in school again, you’ll tell me. You are not going to fix the problem yourselves. Got it?”

            “Got it.” The six of us say.
            “Good. Now go. There’s a holiday to celebrate. Enjoy.”
            When we walk away, Amy turns to me. “Can you believe he just did that?”
            “Eh, yeah. I can. It’s probably the best.”
            “Yeah, you’re right. Did  you knew Rory and Chantal also  have stripes on their arms?”
            “No, I didn’t know. Anyway, I think I’m going downstairs again. The headache is getting back.”
            “Have a nice holiday.”
            “Yeah, you too.”

On Christmas morning, I sneak out of my bed and walk downstairs. I grab the present I got from Fred from under the Christmas tree and open it. There’s a blue locked notebook in it, with the tiny key on a necklace. I open the notebook. There’s a small card in it that says: “Merry Christmas. I can’t wait to see you again in the new year. Love, Fred.” I smile.
            After looking at the card and the notebook for a few minutes, I grab a pen and start writing down the things on my mind: Fluffy, the Weeping Angels, the lost subject from the teacher’s vault and the Silence. “Some strange things happened in the last few months and it seems like they won’t be the last strange things to happen.” What’s going on?