Monday, 8 January 1923
9:50am, after Potions
She was sure she had seen right. Just when Professor Crook had had his back turned, explaining something about potion viscosity, the row before hers had exchanged sweets. One swift movement, easily missed but she had seen.
And now she needed to check.
It had gotten increasingly harder, knowing who was on their side and who wasn’t. Who might be snitching. She had fallen victim to that herself, the first day after Christmas break, unexpecting. The searches had been going since mid December already but she had always gotten lucky, sneaking past or having nothing on her in that moment. Not even her stash in her dorm had been found.
Confiding into someone she’d thought a friend had been what’d eventually cost her half a box of Starshards, opened and shared on the train ride to Hogwarts. Thankfully the only thing stuffed into her cloak pocket when a professor had pulled her aside, patting her down.
Not before Maevie had spotted a pointed finger through the crowd however, straight at her.
Save to say, Maevie hadn’t openly shared her sweets since then, not with anyone she wasn't sure about. She wasn't sure about Gareth but she also wasn't planning on telling him all her secrets either. She'd long stopped carrying candy with her through the castle, there was nothing to worry about. She just needed to find out whether her suspicions were correct.
Pushing her way through the strong of students leaving the classroom, Maevie caught up from behind. “Hi, Gareth!”, she greeted brightly, adjusting her bag’s strap over her shoulder. “Fun lesson, huh?”
Locks bouncing, she cast a quick glance around before lowering her voice and leaning in slightly. “Are you trading?” she asked inconspicuously, searching his face for clues. "I saw you during class."
Potions wasn't one of his favorite subjects. After all, wand movements aside, even a Muggle could do the same things they did. In fact, perhaps they were already doing it their own way out there, with what some called science or industry. He listened to the lesson, sure, and took notes, but he couldn't say he was entirely satisfied with hours spent studying an animal's toenail or a flower's pistil. Not to mention the effect of varying degrees of heat or, like that day, viscosity. Practical lessons were already much more fun and much more useful for handing out stuff. You'd walk around the desks with the excuse of having mismeasured the ingredient, or needing more water, and there you go, you could approach a classmate for this or that candy. In theoretical lessons, everything was more complicated. You either sat close or nothing, and sacrificing one of your front-row seats for something illegal was a huge setback. That day, he'd settled for the back half of the classroom, next to another snake with whom he had a bone to pick. He'd tried to remain unobtrusive, arranging his things as neatly as possible—parcels on one side, an open book on the other, an inkwell and quill ready for use. But behind the façade of a model student, a swift hand was passing the leftover Christmas loot to his classmate. A quick flick of the left hand between his uniform pocket and the hand of his classmate, ready to receive his prize. And then he'd be off again, arms folded and head held high, straining to read what had just been written on the blackboard.
Everything had gone well, or at least that what he thought. Once he had put all the materials in his bag, he had rushed out of the classroom, but not before a polite greeting to the teacher, something he always did, and would do again today to arouse as little suspicion as possible. Then, as he was trying to head to the next class, he heard someone approaching. For a moment he feared it was the teacher, but the voice was far too high-pitched to be an adult. He turned slightly and quietly before accidentally hitting them with his bag, only then realizing that she was a Hufflepuff. ”Oh hi, Maevie,” he greeted her, smiling back. ”I found it a bit boring.” Why on earth did she want her opinion on this specific lesson, he would have wondered if the Hufflepuff hadn't immediately spilled the beans. There, someone had caught him. He tried to keep calm, but the truth was that a shiver was running down his spine. ”Do you mean gobstones?” he tried to play dumb, even though it was clear he was both dumb and dumb.
He looked her in the eyes, then around him to make sure there were no people who shouldn't have heard that discussion since they were still in company... "Have you done something to your hair? It looks more... curly... thicker today. It suits you!" It was always necessary to compliment a young lady, especially when it was sincere and when it served to buy time. So once the most immediate danger had passed, he approached the girl, lowering his voice too match hers: "I might have had one that smelled of sugar… and it's not an exchange if you don't get anything back."
So after having better arranged the shoulder bag so that it wouldn't fall, he raised both hands in front of Maevie, almost in a sign of surrender. ” Given the headmaster's new orders, it makes more sense to… get rid of it. “ It was difficult to talk about that topic without getting into trouble. If Maevie had been a dealer herself he would have been in danger, if she had been a policewoman too… in short, there was no real way out of that situation. Not to mention that from what he had understood she was a Muggle-born. It was one more reason not to trust her so easily, but it was Maevie, a person always so cheerful and sunny and friendly with everyone. She couldn't be a snitch! What to do… what to do? ”How many Galleons or sweet gobstones do you want for not telling anyone?”
Gobstones, she didn’t believe it one second. No one needed to trade gobstones as secretly and swiftly as he had, not even she was as naïve to buy an excuse like that. She was about to voice her doubt but Gareth was quicker.
"Have you done something to your hair? It looks more... curly... thicker today. It suits you!"
For a second she just blinked at him, taken off guard by the compliment. Her hand lifted, absentmindedly brushing over her hair. “I — erm, no, I don’t think — so.” A blush crept up her cheeks, burning her face and she quickly shook her head, dismissing the strange sensation.
He was trying to distract her and she wouldn’t let him! She had to know where he stood, whether he was an ally, a source she could potentially make use of. As he leaned closer, she did too.
"I might have had one that smelled of sugar… and it's not an exchange if you don't get anything back."
Her brow furrowed. Had he just given it away? Without a trade? That didn't make any sense. Maybe he had owed the other something, a debt. But his next words clarified that confusion up quickly.
“Given the headmaster's new orders, it makes more sense to… get rid of it.”
Get rid of it?! Now, why would he do that? Again, all she could do was blink at him, but this time with incredulity rather than abashment. Didn’t he like the sweets? Was he planning to simply give in to the new rules, abiding by this law that no one wanted and that made no sense whatsoever? It was just candy! Sure, they had side effects, the reason they were so damn popular in the first place, but it wasn't harming anyone! In fact they were helping. Her at least.
She could sleep again, without the aid of potions.
“How many Galleons or sweet gobstones do you want for not telling anyone?”
That stopped her straight in her tracks. “What?”, she said, almost a little affronted. “No!” With a sigh she grabbed Gareth by the sleeve of his cloak, dragging him into one of the alcoves that interspersed the length of the dungeon corridor, ducking away from the rest of the students.
Once they were tugged out of sight, she let go of him, lowering her voice again. “I’m not telling on anything,” she whispered, casting another glance along the busy hallway before leaning back in. “I’m not a snitch, I want to trade.”
She was fairly sure he wasn’t a snitch either, so giving away her own stance seemed less of a risk now.
“Or I can give you money for what you have.”
Remaining neutral in the presence of someone you're not sure you can trust isn't easy, but Gareth thought he'd done relatively well. If Maevie was pro-headmaster, she should be happy he'd gotten rid of the contraband; if she was pro-sweets, he might find a new buyer in him. After all, she didn't lean one way or the other, did she? He couldn't get in trouble if no one knew which way he leaned, right?
He was completely surprised when the girl grabbed him by the sleeve of his uniform. ” nonononoo “ he tried to resist, but without pulling back to avoid damaging his serpentine tunic, but at the same time without raising his voice too much to avoid attracting unwanted attention. Would she take him to a prefect? The headmaster? Another teacher nearby? A cold sweat would form at his temple, hidden by the untamed hair on his head.
They didn't move far, nor did they go to a member of the staff. Instead, Maevie led him into a dimly lit and hidden corner of the castle's many corridors, perhaps one of those rumored to be a secret passage to the Muggle-born torture chambers created years ago by Salazar himself. Or at least that's what a cousin of his had told him before arriving at Hogwarts. He'd never encountered such a passage before, but after what had happened the year before, he couldn't doubt the truth in those words. There was still an obsessive evil hovering in the castle.
When Maevie left him, the first thing Gareth did was check his sleeve, wiping it almost obsessively, as if he were disgusted by her sticky hands. Not that they were actually sticky, but he simply shouldn't be touched. Only then did Maevie reveal her true intentions. He looked at her, still wiping himself, his gaze trying to read her eyes. Was she lying? Was he telling the truth? He didn't have the prophetic gifts of some people yet, maybe he never would, and reading Maevie was probably an impossible task. ”You could have just asked nicely!” he scolded her, adjusting his uniform. ”I don't like being touched.” he explained annoyedly with a huff.
” Anyway “ he continued, adjusting the collar of his uniform, as if it were a businessman’s tie. ” I don’t need money. “ A Prince who wanted money, huh, what a joke. ” I just want the clubs to reopen. Duels… chess… Quidditch too. That’s why I’m giving away thunders. “ Zing Zest Lightning Bolts if Maevie understood what he was trying to tell her. ” They give so much energy, or so they say. We’ll need a way to… let it out. “ He didn’t want to be any more clear than that, it could be risky if anyone else was listening in on their conversation. ” Do you want a trade? You help me give energy… I’ll get you the gobstones“ coff coff sweets coff coff ” of your choice. Or whatever else you want to ask me. “
Well, it was good he didn’t need money, because that had been an outright bluff anyway. She did get pocket money, once a month, but it wasn’t particularly much. Just enough to restock on sweets last Hogsmeade weekend, and also get more parchment and new ink. Not exactly the sort of funds fit to bargain with.
“I just want the clubs to reopen. Duels… chess… Quidditch too. That’s why I’m giving away thunders. They give so much energy, or so they say. We’ll need a way to… let it out.”
Thunders. It took her a beat to understand what he meant, mind racing to catch up with his code words. Had they made an official catalogue? Had she missed that somehow? There hadn’t been many meetings, so she was fairly sure she’d attended them all. Or maybe the information simply hadn’t stuck with her — that one time she had been having one of those lollies.
For a second she wondered whether that was something to worry about.
“Do you want a trade? You help me give energy… I’ll get you the gobstones of your choice. Or whatever else you want to ask me.”
Maevie shook the thought from her head, regarding Gareth as she wondered if she understood him correctly. He wanted to just hand the Lightning Bolts out, distribute them to give people more energy and a fun way to let it out...for nothing in return?! And he’d give her the sweets she wanted as well?
It almost sounded too good to be true.
Suddenly, she didn’t feel all too convinced of his alliance anymore. Was it a way to trick people into giving themselves away? Take a bit of candy, thinking they’d struck a golden deal, only to be stopped down the next hallways by a professor ready to collect the perpetrators? A twisted coalition between staff and the students agreeing with them?
They did say Slytherin was the house of snakes, didn’t they?
But he’d seemed so sincere. Could someone fake that? She didn't think she could, and because that was good enough, she decided others likely couldn't either. With a determined nod and an excited smile, Maevie agreed.
“Okay,” she said, voice still low. “I help give people energy and you give me—uhm…” What was the code word for the Golden Honey Sunset spirals? Nothing obvious came to mind. After a short moment she settled on the easiest option. "Caramel gobstones.” Hopefully that wasn’t too far off.
Careful not to brush his robes — he didn't need to tell her twice — Maevie leaned in, uncertainty lacing her words as a spark of doubt remained. “You’re — uhm — sure, you don’t want anything back?”
Maevie seemed to have accepted the proposal, responding with a nod and then with her request. Caramel, huh? He looked at her for a moment, confused, trying to figure out which sweet her secret word might correspond to, if it was a sweet at all, and did a quick mental check of the most popular ones.
The cubes? No, it was chocolate. The clouds were chocolate too. The lightning bolts he wanted to sell were fruity, the hearts were wild berries. His favorites, the crystals, he wouldn't describe as caramel-like. The rainbow? Possibly, given the ever changing flavors, but maybe it was just sugar. Or maybe the gold… " oh " which was mostly made of caramel. Yes, that must have been exactly what the Puff was referring to.
”Yeah I told you i only want to have fun courses back. Now cover for me.” he asked her to stand guard while, turned against the wall, he opened his school bag, digging inside among the books, the parchments, the ink. Then his hand reached what was a small box that in the past had contained a chocolate frog, now home to a very different kind of sweets. He tried to carefully pull it out, even counting on Maevie's help in hiding it, then opened the box in front of her. There was a Fizzin Starshard, three Every Flavour +1 Beans, two Zing Zest Lightning Bolts, and lucky Maevie, a Golden Honey Sunset.
”All yours.” he said, passing her the covering box with his other hand, but not before stealing the Starshard ”Except for this one, this one's mine.” and the multicolored crystal returned to its owner's hand, who would then seal it in his embroidered handkerchief and put it back in his bag. ”Sell, trade, give away, your choice.”
”Yeah I told you I only want to have fun courses back. Now cover for me.”
Maevie didn’t argue.
Turning her back on him she scanned the hallway, blocking off any curious glances with her body. Not that she was particularly broad or tall but she tried her best. Thankfully most of the students coming and going in between classes had passed by now, leaving only a few stragglers and those didn’t seem to care.
When she was sure that everything was safe, she turned back around, waiting for Gareth to finish digging through his bag. At last he pulled a small box forth and Maevie threw another cautious glance over her shoulder before huddling closer.
When he opened it, her eyes immediately landed on the Golden Honey Sunset spiral. It was only one but it was better than nothing. And it was for free.
In times like these, one had to get their hands on everything they could. And the rest of those sweets would do well for trading.
Maevie took the box from him, having to grin a little when he did steal one of the sweets back, wrapping it in a handkerchief.
“Thank you,” she said, making quick work of stuffing the box away in her own bag, down to the very bottom, covered by parchment, books and broken quills. It would have to be enough. Luckily being down in the dungeons meant she could make a quick detour to her dorm, hide these away, and then only be a little late for her next class.
It was better than carrying these around until lunch break, the risk was too great.
Once she was sure everything was properly covered, Maevie beamed at Gareth. “If you got any more,” she said, voice low but hovering on the edge of excited, “you know who to seek out.”
”If you want to play again” with Gobstones obviously, not with banned sweets. ” Let me know. During Astronomy is the best time. ” When everyone has their eyes fixed on the telescopes pointed at the stars, it's much harder to see what's happening on Earth. ” I'll try to have more next time. But not too often, because then when they explode they stink. And it’s hard to clean it even with magic. ” And students who stink don't make a good impression on the teachers.
” We'd better go now, though, before we're late. Maybe let’s not get there together. I'll go in and you... well, you had to go to the bathroom.” Girls are known to take ages to use the bathroom. Gareth was looking at her at that moment like a commander looks at his troops, explaining to them how to move on the battlefield to have the least casualties possible. The enemy? The teachers, of course. If anyone have to lose, it was better be the Hufflepuffs. The hourglasses had the yellow-black team well ahead of everyone else, and if they happened to lose a few points due to one of their members being late, or a couple be way too energetic because of those thundery sweets, it wouldn't be a bad thing. It would give the snakes time to make up a few points.
” By the way I didn’t know you like gobstones too… being a muggleborne and all… usually it’s more of a… magic borne thingy… “ told her while walking towards class, at least in the brief moment they were still walking together.
He wasn’t really talking about gobstones of course, but sweets. Now he knew he could use her in some way or maybe he would need to keep an eye on her. Something like keep friends close but enemies closer.
// End role
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