The Mystery Below - Chapter 14

Chapter 14
War in Hogsmeade

December came and took winter with it. The trip to Hogsmeade came closer and closer. Many people were planning to buy Christmas gifts some others were looking forward to a change of pace while Tintin were mostly longing for some hot butterbeer. Around the school people had almost forgotten that poor Kyle was still missing and with Yule around the corner there was a warm feeling throughout the school. For Kirk though it wasn't very easy to get into the spirit as he had something troubling him.
"So this is where you are hiding these days."
Kirk chuckled lightly but the awkward feeling inside him could be seen through his uncertain stare. He didn't dare to look directly at Spock. Kirk was afraid how the boy would look at him. They hadn't seen each other since that conversation in the Great Hall. Kirk had at first felt like usual, but soon he realised that Spock ignored him. Even when they had class together Spock would act as if Kirk wasn't even there.
But today Spock wouldn't get away. Not this time. Now they were in the library, a place Kirk would seldom visit. He hadn't been surprised when he found Spock there.
"Ignoring me won't help." Kirk tried to provoke the boy into saying something but he remained silent. "I won't let you ignore me. I'll always chase you down, until you speak to me again."
When Kirk waited for an answer the silence was slowly killing him. He didn't know what to do or say. For once in his life everything wasn't that easy for Kirk.
"What do you expect me to say?" Spock finally said, but Kirk didn't really know what to answer.
"I don't know. Something? I just don't want you to ignore me."
"Did you ever try to consider why I have been 'ignoring' you?"
"No."
"Then shut up and think for a second."
Kirk tried to do as he was told. He glanced at Spock who was still staring into the book. It was so hard. Kirk knew that Spock had gotten upset after Kirk had said that he had used the girls as an excuse to speak to Spock. It was true, for Spock would barely speak to Kirk otherwise. He always dismissed Kirk in one way or another if Kirk didn't have a reason to speak to Spock.
"You're tired of me?" Kirk tried, scared of what he would hear.
"Just leave me alone." Spock closed his book and gave Kirk an intense stare. Kirk turned his gaze away.
"Are you done here, Spock?" Both Kirk and Spock turned to the silky smooth voice that suddenly broke the tension between them. Kirk recognised the boy with the copper hair and golden eyes but couldn't remember anything more than that he was in the Quidditch team of Ravenclaw. Kirk couldn't help but feel a bit ashamed by the lack of this boy's name in his memory, but on the other hand it wasn't really important.
"Since minutes ago." Spock said with an icy voice and stared with cold eyes towards Kirk.
"Mr. Kirk." The younger boy bowed his head politely to say good bye while Spock had already walked away from them.
"Excuse me." Kirk stopped the boy from following him. "Have Spock told you anything about why he's angry with me?"
"He's angry at you?" Edward said with an expressionless face. It was a little bit scary actually.
"If he hasn't said anything..." Kirk decided to let it go.
"Well then if it's nothing else. Good bye, sir. I bet I'll see you in Hogsmeade."
"You and Spock going?" Kirk glanced at the boy.
"Yes. I need to shop gifts for my family. It's Christmas soon." Edward actually smiled when he said it.   
"Then I guess I'll see you there."
The boy wandered off and Kirk sat at the table, dead quiet. He was in deep thought. He was very confused at this time. Spock didn't seem to care much about telling the boy about his issues, which made Kirk a bit relieved. On the other hand he didn't know Spock had any real friends. He always sat alone and never spoke to people unless necessary.
But one thing was for sure. Kirk wouldn't miss the trip to Hogsmeade for anything in the world! And he had even planned to stay behind just to rest for a bit.
During the time between the night of truth and dare and the trip to Hogsmeade only a few things had changed. The curfew was back to normal and Amy and Rory acted differently. They started holding hands, but only when there were few people around. Kirk even once caught them cuddling in an arm chair when the common room was practically empty. It wasn't like they were hiding it, more like they wanted to be subtle.  
"Where did that come from?" Kirk had asked Tintin at one time. Probably because they had been gossiping about them before.
"I don't know." Tintin lied.
"Something must have happened. I thought I would have to yell it into their faces to make them see it."
"Aren't you happy for them?"
"Of course I am. Maybe I'll ask them about it..."
"You probably shouldn't."
"How come?"
"They might think it's too personal to tell you, an older student, prefect and captain."
Kirk decided to let it go for the time being and Tintin felt pretty darn good that he had been able to avoid the truth without having to lie too much. He didn't like not to tell the truth, but sometimes it was for the best.
The trip to Hogsmeade was at a Saturday and Tintin managed to find a seat with Edward, Merry and Pippin. He was amazed how Pippin seemed to have stopped hanging out with Gryffindor students to always be with Merry instead. But the two of them were like brothers, so Tintin decided not to get involved. He like the company of the gang.
During the trip Spirou and Fantasio came into their compartment. They had been searching for an empty one but found Tintin instead. Tintin got the feeling that it was only an excuse. The six of them chatted along and had a great time during the trip and Tintin was amazed at how well his friends got together. He had never imagined Spirou chatting with Merry about Quidditch and didn't really get how Fantasio could explain the fine art of photography to Edward who tried to convince Fantasio that muggle photos was more interesting than magical photos.
"But muggle pictures aren't moving!"
"That's the thing about it! They manage to catch movement in a totally frozen picture."
"But why catch it in a non-moving picture when you can have a moving one?"
"You know the muggles can't take pictures that move."
"I'm talking about you."
"I enjoy the simple things."
Tintin laughed at their conversation. Soon they were all talking about what they would do if they would live in the muggle world.
"I would be journalist and photographer anyway." Fantasio stated.
"I would also be a journalist." Spirou leaned on his friend. "We would be a winning duo!"
"After the thing last year I've actually considered becoming a journalist so I guess I would be a muggle journalist too." Tintin was amazed how the three of them seemed to have considered the same work.
"Then we can be a trio!" Spirou got excited.
"Are there any sports like Quidditch amongst the muggles?" Merry asked. People shook their heads.
"They have other sports." Edward said. "Like basketball."
"Then I would play basketball!"
"You are far too short. Those who play it are like 6'5" you know."
"I'd kick their asses!" Merry laughed.
"I would cheer on you!" Pippin added to the conversation.
"And what would you do, Pip?" Merry asked.
"I don't know. Maybe I would be a traveller? See the world, you know."
"That's not an occupation, Pip."
"But that's what I would do nonetheless!"
"What about you, Edward?" Tintin turned to the boy who seemed to be deep in thought.
"I would like to help people, like my father. Maybe I would become a doctor? Or a teacher."
"What does your father do?" Merry asked, surprising Tintin that Edward's closest friend didn't know.
"He's a doctor, in the muggle world. He decided not to live a magical life. I've been raised amongst the muggles."
"You didn't know Merry?" Tintin asked.
"I knew about him living amongst muggles, not that his father had chosen it. I thought his mother was a muggle."
"She's a squib. My father's parents were a muggler and a squib so he was raised as a muggler. They were actually surprised when he got the letter to Hogwarts, but my father never finished his studies here. He wanted to remain in school so that he could become a doctor in the muggle world. He's the pride of the muggle part of the family and a black sheep amongst the wizards."
"And what about you?" Merry seemed a little bit worried. "Will you finish your studies here?"
"Yes. But I don't know what to do when I'm done."
After that conversation there was a weird feeling in the compartment. They chatted about lighter stuff, but people couldn't forget the sadness in Edward's voice as he spoke. It was probably hard getting torn between two worlds. But they were lucky that the train stopped pretty soon and people stormed out of the train. Happy laughter and excited talk filled the station as the kids made their way to the village. It was a nostalgic feeling being back here for the first time in a while for Tintin for he hadn't been to Hogsmeade since before summer.
"I got to buy a new Quill. I kind of broke mine and Fantasio won't let me use his no more." Spirou told Tintin as he left for the Quill shop with Fantasio.
Tintin looked at the other of his friends who all had to buy some things. Merry wanted to check out some new broom at Spintwitches and Pippin followed him while Edward wanted to go buy Christmas gifts. Tintin didn't keep them company. Instead he did some window shopping before he went to the pub and enjoyed his very wanted cup of butterbeer.
"This is the new Bladedancer X10!" Pippin almost screamed as he saw it.
It was a magnificent broomstick that had been a rumour for very long and finally it was out in stores. Merry and Pippin joined a crowd of other kids who were fascinated by the broom and they all wanted to know more about it.
"I've read it's twice as fast as the former fastest broom!"
"I read that it's enchated so that no muggles can see it or the rider!"
"My brother told me the UK team couldn't even afford buying the Bladedancer for the whole team because it's so expensive."
"My mum will buy it for me as a Christmas gift!"
Everybody turned towards the boy who had spoken. It was Eric Cartman with Bill and Bull behind him. He looked as smug as always and Merry just couldn't keep his mouth shut.
"Oh, Cartman, your mother wouldn't even be able to afford a branch of this beauty!"
"Shut up, I'm getting the broom!"
"Be sure to show it off after Christmas!"
Red in the face Cartman left the store and the group of kids laughed at him. Bill and Bull also laughed as they walked after him. Merry could hear them say something about never hearing about the broom before. Cartman was such a liar.
It was as Bill and Bull ran out of the store that Merry caught a glance of something moving past the window. He moved closer to get a better look. He could see two blond quiffs he didn't recognise walk down the street.
"Pip, follow me." Merry instructed and Pippin didn't even hesitate to do as he was told.
Merry rushed out the door only to find that the quiffs were gone.
"What is it?" Pippin whispered the question.
"It's just I thought I saw John and Edward with really weird hair." Merry sighed.
The boys were nowhere to be seen, but Merry didn't want to give up. Merry and Pippin left the store behind and strolled down the street in a try to look casual. Their analytic staring of the surroundings made it hard to look natural though.
Pippin ran over to Honeydukes and tried to convince Merry to follow him inside, but Merry wasn't interested in buying sweets. He had to save his money and wanted to keep an eye out for the twins. Pippin ran into the store and met some of his friends in there. He was in the store for almost ten minutes before leaving with a lot of candy in a bag.
"I thought you had died in there." Merry joked.
"I bought something for you." Pippin took out a package from the bag. "I got you some Fudge Flies, I know you like them."
Merry laughed as he took the candy. Pippin looked concerned but tried to smile anyway.
"How did you know? Have you actually been stalking me?"
"Of course." Pippin looked serious. Merry's laugh was replaced with a surprised face. "Okay, not really. I happened to see you eat it during practice once."
"That is stalking Pippin."
Both started laughing as Merry opened the package and they picked a fly each. It was at the same moment as Merry was about to put it in his mouth that he got a snowball in the back of his head. He stumbled and dropped the candy.
"Who threw that?!" His voice echoed across Hogsmeade and some people stopped and stared.
Merry turned around just in time to catch the sight of two giggling twins with their hair straight up in the air. It didn't take long for the war to be a fact. Merry chased after them with Pippin following and both started throwing snowballs at each other. Some of the other Hogwarts students thought it looked funny and joined in. Before they knew it there was war.
Students paired up and threw balls at each other all over Hogsmeade. They tried to stay away from the main street but sometimes they ran across it and balls came flying from all around. The war was a fact.
Merry closed his eyes. He took some deep breaths. The air in his lungs was so very cold and it almost hurt as he was breathing so deeply. He only had seconds to think. Only seconds to relax and think over the situation. He tried to remember how the others were positioned, but he could still hear the sound of running. People wouldn't stand still at war.
"Merry, we've got to do something!" Pippin grabbed Merry's arm and forced Merry into reality.
He opened his eyes and looked at the boy. "There's only one thing to do."
"No, we can't!" Pippin shook his head and looked scared.
"We have to." Merry took one more deep breath. "Towards the barrels!"
Merry suddenly stood up and ran without a second hesitation. He could feel something swish by his ear, but it missed. He could hear Pippin's heavy breathing from behind. They threw themselves behind the barrels and the snow softened their landing.
"Enemy!"
"No, we're here for peace!" Merry brushed the snow off his clothes as he sat up and stared into two identical faces. "We've got to team up to beat Cartman and his men!"
"You think we will ever team up with you? My arm is still hurting!" It was John who waved his arm in the air.
"My shoulder isn't the same anymore thanks to you!"
"And I still sound weird when I speak so I think we've finished that chapter!" Merry pointed to his mouth.
The twins looked at each other before grinning and turning back to Merry.
"Welcome to team Jedward!"
The four of them shook each other's hands. It was peace.
"Pippin, you make more snowballs! Merry, you have a stronger arm than me so you can throw balls together with Edward. I'll keep an eye out for trouble."
Suddenly they were the strongest team on the field.

Inside the bar Tintin was sitting with a blanket over his shoulder and a wonderful cup of hot butterbeer in his hands. He would have loved to have brought Snowy with him or had a friend to chat with, but the dull sound of the chatter around was also very relaxing.
"Can I join you?" Kirk awoke Tintin from his daydreaming.
"Sure." Tintin smiled.
"You haven't seen Spock around?"
Tintin couldn't help but laugh a little. Kirk really didn't beat around the bush.
"I think Edward said something about him staying behind."
"Damn!"
Kirk put his forehead on the table and got all quiet.
"You wanted to meet him?"
"Yes." Kirk mumbled.
"Care to explain?" Tintin didn't know if he should push it.
"He's been acting weird lately. Ignoring me and stuff... I just can't figure it out. I'll do whatever I can to make it right, but it's hard when he's never around."
"There are a lot of weird things going on at Hogwarts."
"When isn't there?" Kirk leaned against his hands and looked at Tintin.
"A boy disappeared, weird portraits, suspicious teachers. It's out of the normal weird."
"You right. But that doesn't solve my problem with Spock."
"I'm not sure what happened between the two of you, but I think you will make up soon enough. Just try to come up with what you want to say to him."
"Easy to say, hard to do."
Kirk stood up and left Tintin without even saying goodbye. He seemed to be disappointed and depressed which made Tintin wonder if he should go after him, but the warm cup in his hand and the conversation they had just been having made him decide to leave it alone for now.
He took a sip of the beer, leaned towards the window and closed his eyes. It was such a nice feeling. The warmth in his mouth, the cold on his cheek. Nothing could ruin this moment!
Not until someone slammed the window and scared him half to death. The sound echoed in his ear and soon he was staring into the face of Meriadoc Brandybuck who seemed to be desperate to get his attention as he kept banging on the window before running into the bar.
"They're taking us down! We need more power."
Merry couldn't say any more before a dark voice answered.
"Need more power for what?"
It was Sherlock Holmes who had turned towards the boy. He was sitting at the table next to Tintin with Watson on the opposite side of the table with a cup in his hand. It was probably tea.
"No power. I said we need more... semester hours."
Everybody looked at Merry as if he was stupid. Damn. Soon all the kids were collected at the back of the bar, standing with their heads down.
"You may be kids, but you should know that if you're having a snowball war you should be having it were those who are not participating are safe. To be having a war in the middle of Hogsmeade is NOT okay."
Sherlock crossed his arms and stared at the children. He suddenly felt much taller than he was and a lot scarier than he usually felt in the classroom down in the dungeon, which was amazing since almost all the students were at least a little bit intimidated by his bizarre skill of deduction.
"For every student that participated I will remove three points from each house. You will also help Gargamel in the greenhouses. He has a lot to do before winter."
Every student complained, but not aloud. It was only a collective sigh. The journey home was a big disappointment for those who hadn't participated as they all had lost so many points. For those that had participated they didn't talk about anything else. When travelling Tintin felt a little bit out of the conversation as it seemed that the others had all participated. Even John and Edward joined them this time for it seemed that there was peace between them and Merry and Pippin.