It was a warm, sunny weekend and Gideon wanted to be outside with the others to enjoy it. Unfortunately, he had been cooped up in the library. He had thought about going down to the Quidditch pitch to watch Dorian and Gio try out for the house team, but after reflecting on his second week at Hogwarts, he decided against it.

He hadn’t earned a single point for Slytherin since becoming a third-year. In fact, he had lost points, which was quite the contrast from his first week at the school. He hoped to turn that around. First, though, came his make-up work. Once he finished it and understood what he had missed, his standard homework assignments would make more sense.

By Sunday evening he had done just that, barring Astronomy, the classes for which were on Mondays. Gideon let out a long sigh after returning the last library book to its shelf and slumped over on his desk. He rested his head on his arms and closed his eyes for a few moments of blissful oblivion.

After a minute or two Gideon reluctantly hoisted himself up. He still had things to do. Logically, he knew that he should spend the remainder of the evening getting in some spell practice or extra reading, but he had waited long enough. He found the library’s ancient card catalogue and looked up “curse”.

To say there were a lot of references was an understatement. Gideon didn’t know where to start except at the beginning. After scanning through several titles, he had the presence of mind to start keeping a list of his progress. It was a good thing, too, as he hadn’t found anything useful come closing time. Curse instructions, curse effects, curse creation, curse removal, but nothing along the lines of curse marks.

***

‘We hardly saw you all weekend! Where were you?’ Gio commented across the table at breakfast on Monday.

‘The library,’ Gideon informed him, ‘I told you. I had all that make-up work to do.’

‘You should’ve just done it some other time,’ he replied.

‘Don’t mind him, Gideon, he just wants to tell you his news,’ Eoin commented.

Gio beamed as Gideon turned to him, ‘You’re looking at the Slytherin Quidditch team’s newest Keeper!’

‘Oh, really?’ said Gideon. He had returned from the library to find the other boys had gone to bed early and hadn’t heard about the results of the trials. ‘Good going, Gio! How about you, Dorian?’

Dorian shrugged and answered, ‘Maybe next year. The competition was pretty strong to be honest. I think we’ve got a good team this year, even with Gio in goal…’

Gideon almost choked on his toast as he tried to stifle a laugh. It was a few moments before Gio reacted, ‘Hey!’

***

Charms followed by Astronomy that morning meant back-to-back classes with the Gryffindors. Gideon hadn’t crossed paths with them since their run in and the ensuing smokescreen. However, they clearly hadn’t forgotten. Jason and Greg sent death stares across the classrooms, along with a couple of jinxes when Professor Keane and Kenyatta weren’t looking.

Luckily for Gideon, his fellow Slytherins had his back. They returned glares, fended off spells and stayed close to Gideon between classes. He was a little embarrassed but touched by the show of support.

The bigger surprise had been Alex Grimsby. Eoin had mentioned something about the boy showing off in class, but Gideon thought it had been a joke. Alex always knew the answers to questions when called upon, but that was rare because he usually had his hand raised casually in the air whenever one was asked openly.

If Gideon had counted right, and he was sure he had since Greg and Jason sycophantically high-fived every time, Alex had earned Gryffindor house twenty-five points before lunch. He decided he couldn’t let that stand.

Gideon finished Professor Kenyatta’s make-up work over lunch, tricky though it was, so he could hit the books hard that evening. In Transfiguration, Gideon fully transformed his mouse into a hairbrush, and then more impressively, reversed the spell on the first try, earning him five points.

The last class before the night-time Astronomy lesson was Ancient Runes. Professor Rebus recounted more stories from his youth before once again consulting his pocket watch with surprise. Apparently, this was to be a regular occurrence.

Ruby happily shared her textbook again, but Gideon couldn’t help noticing her staring at him occasionally, which became very distracting. Convinced she wanted to say something to him, he tried to make it seem as if he was open to talking and attempted to engage her in idle chit chat, but she barely uttered a word all lesson.

***

In his usual corner of the library, Gideon was having trouble getting his priorities in order. He was done with his make-up work but that didn’t automatically mean he was at the same level as the other third-years, and he wouldn’t settle for that anyway. He wanted to go beyond what was expected, and not just to compete with Alex Grimsby.

Gideon’s dream of attending Hogwarts had come true. He had also gained magical abilities after being convinced he was a Squib. He was fostering friendships and learning about things he never thought possible. Now that things had turned around, he was determined to make the most of it.

For today, though, he decided to take a break. He didn’t want to be tired out during Astronomy. From tomorrow, he would throw himself into a new study regimen.

Back in the Common Room, Gideon relaxed into a seat in front of the fire and absent-mindedly watched the second-years, Jade and Jasper play a game of wizard’s chess. They appeared to be a good match for each other, moving the pieces about quickly as if like they could read each other’s minds.

Gideon wondered if it were anything to do with being twins, then another thought occurred to him, ‘Do you two happen to have any more siblings?’

‘Yeah, loads, why?’ answered Jade.

‘It just occurred to me that you remind me of someone, but I’m probably imagining it,’ Gideon added.

‘Who?’ asked Jasper without looking away from the game.

‘A Hufflepuff girl in some of my classes—’

‘That’ll be our Ruby!’ said Jasper.

‘Yeah, that’s her!’ Gideon confirmed.

‘The Williams kids are all at Hogwarts right now,’ Jade explained. ‘Esmeralda is in the fifth year and Saphira’s in fourth. They’re both in Ravenclaw. Then there’s Ruby in Hufflepuff, us in Slytherin, and Amber who started this year is in Gryffindor!’

‘Wow!’ Gideon exclaimed. ‘That’s unusual, isn’t it?

‘What, all being named after gems? Silly, isn’t it?’ Jade said, shaking her head.

‘Oh, no,’ he said apologetically, ‘I mean, all being in different houses?’

‘I guess so,’ said Jasper, ‘but it’s not that surprising to us. We’re all so different. You must get it, knowing Ruby? I don’t know how she ended up so shy.’

‘Middle child syndrome,’ Jade commented. ‘How about you, Gideon?’

Gideon didn’t see any point in lying, though, knowing now that his siblings weren’t related by blood meant the comparison was meaningless. ‘My brother’s in his final year and my sister’s graduated. Both Gryffindors,’ he said.

‘Ah! So, you’re the black sheep of the family, like us, eh?’ Jasper jested.

‘You could say that,’ Gideon replied.

After playing a few games of chess with the twins and getting in a quick nap, Gideon and the third-years headed off to the Astronomy tower with their telescopes in hand and their cloaks on. Luckily, it wasn’t a windy night, but it was still cold high up on top of the tower.

Professor Kenyatta, today in cheetah-print robes, had them locate the constellation they had discussed that morning and draw the surrounding stars on charts.

‘When you think you’re finished, let me see your charts. Your homework will be to name the other stars and identify any constellations they are a part of. In addition, based on this information, I expect you to determine the location of the Earth in relation to the Sun—’

‘Argh!’ cried out Gideon suddenly.

‘Yes, Mr Maxwell?’ the professor asked.

Gideon had felt a short but sharp pain that caused his whole body to lurch. ‘Err, nothing, Sir, sorry.’ Gideon dismissed it but a few minutes later it happened again. This time he was able to stifle a yell, but a high-pitched squeal escaped him instead.

‘Something the matter?’ asked Sasha with an expression of curiosity so much like her sister’s. Gideon shook his head, but when it happened for the third time and his fingers sparked against his brass telescope, he spun around to look for the source.

Even in the starlight, Gideon could make out the silent but unmistakable shaking movements of the Gryffindor boys trying to conceal their laughter. They were hitting him in the back with the Shocker Spell. Alex didn’t appear to be laughing but maybe he was just better at hiding it.

Gideon was angry but he didn’t want to give Alex, Jason, or Greg the satisfaction of knowing they had got to him. So, Gideon did something clever, but also a little foolish.

He pointed is wand at himself and muttered, ‘Torpify.’

A small white light hit his chest and the effect was immediate. He almost regretted it. Gideon had used the Numbing Charm on himself. It felt like a body-wide case of pins and needles. He had to use his telescope to steady himself, which wasn’t easy now that he could barely feel his hands.

However, when the next Shocker hit, the sensation was barely noticeable. After four or five more spells hit him without provoking a reaction, the Gryffindors gave up. Gideon’s star chart turned out to be a bit of a mess, but he promised Professor Kenyatta that he would fix it later.

Once the Gryffindor boys had left the tower-top through the hatch, Gideon explained to the Slytherins what had transpired. He didn’t want to, but he needed help carrying his things and getting back to the Common Room.

‘Why didn’t you say anything! I would have sorted those gits out!’ roared Eoin as he and Tim supported each of Gideon’s arms.

‘That’s exactly why!’ Gideon responded. ‘I don’t want anyone getting in trouble because of me! I can handle those guys.’

‘What, by numbing yourself again?’ said Dorian, more concerned than angry, ‘It won’t just be weak Shockers they hit you with next time!’

‘They’re not going to hex him in front of the teachers, are they? Besides, you have to admit, that was pretty smart of Gideon!’ Gio commented.

‘Yeah, I never would have thought of that,’ said Cheryl while Sasha nodded in agreement.

‘Well, that’s not saying much, is it?’ joked Eoin.

As Cheryl proceeded to smack Eoin with her bag, Sasha added, ‘It would have been smarter if you knew the reversal spell, Gideon.’

‘I hadn’t read that far ahead,’ Gideon explained bashfully. ‘But I won’t make that mistake again. It’s on now!’

‘What does that mean?’ Sasha questioned.

‘Don’t do anything drastic, Gideon!’ Dorian warned.

‘It means I’m going to fight them in my own way!’ Gideon announced. ‘I’m going to take every house point that’s up for grabs and do my part to make sure we win the House Cup! Grimsby won’t know what’s hit him!’

***

Gideon was fired up. The day after his spell wore off, he started carefully dividing up his free time. As the days went by, he soon found a balance between the work he needed to do, the extra work he was determined to do, and the research he wanted to do. He even devised a timetable to make sure he didn’t get carried away with one or the other.

He also continued to keep note of how far he had gone through the card catalogue’s “curse” results. He wasn’t making much progress there, but his extra studying and spell practice were showing results.

In the classes Gideon shared with the Ravenclaws, he was getting the hang of Transfiguration spells and the level of understanding behind them, he was impressing Professor Hagrid with his knowledge of magical creatures, and he wasn’t giving his father any reason to fault his work or his spells. The Ravenclaws weren’t happy about it, except for Talia, whose company he was enjoying.

With the Hufflepuffs, Gideon found figuring out rune translations on the blackboard to be like a televised Muggle game show he liked, his attention span and answers in History of Magic were improving, and his potions were beginning to rival Dorian’s to the point where he thought Professor Long had smiled.

The best classes turned out to be those with the Gryffindors, where Gideon was matching Alex Grimsby point for point when it came to answering questions in Muggle Studies and Charms and trouncing him in Herbology. Naturally, he was still having trouble with Astronomy. However, his fellow Slytherins had really stepped up there.

They had also been accompanying Gideon around to make sure he wasn’t targeted, even taking turns at pretending to run into him outside the library around closing time. He went along with their transparent deception and chose to be grateful rather than embarrassed. There was a real sense of camaraderie growing between them.

They had each answered Gideon’s call to arms and the proof was evident by the jealous glares of students from other houses as well as, of course, the house point hour glasses. The number of emeralds in the Slytherin hourglass had a firm lead on the rubies, sapphires, and topaz of the other three. Gideon and his friends couldn’t be sure they were responsible, of course, until Professor Voronov called a meeting in the Common Room one evening.

‘I’m especially happy with the efforts of our third-year students, who have made a significant contribution to our lead,’ the professor informed them with a dangerous glean in his eye. ‘I expect the same of all of you. I also expect you all to support our new Quidditch team, whom I’m told have been working hard at practice. Our first match will be against Gryffindor next month. Do not disappoint me.’

‘I can’t believe he mentioned us!’ Cheryl exclaimed as the professor’s robes billowed behind him and through the passageway.

‘I’m not sure he meant you, Cheryl!’ Joked Eoin.

‘Hey! I’ve been trying just as hard as anyone, especially with Astronomy! Professor Kenyatta’s given me a fair few points, thank you very much!’ she responded.

‘That’s right,’ said Sasha, ‘It is fun to work together like this, isn’t it? I hear Verity in Ravenclaw is really upset that we’re taking points from her; she usually scoops them up!’

‘I never thought I’d say it, but yeah,’ Gio said, ‘and it’s not just her, the Gryffindors are furious. The vein on Crawley’s head looked like it was fit to burst the last time Keane called on Gideon instead of Grimsby! I’m just sad I’m not contributing more.’

‘What are you talking about? Professor Hagrid loves your sketches!’ Gideon asserted.

‘Yeah, Gio! Plus, you’ll show em’ on the Quidditch pitch soon enough,’ Dorian assured him, ‘so long as you can remember which end of your broomstick is which!’

***

The arrival of Gideon’s new textbooks meant his studying was no longer limited to the confines of the library. They came with a letter of support from Caroline, a box of Chocolate Frogs and clippings from a Daily Prophet article. He tucked into them while reading by the Common Room fire.

DEMENTOR THREAT RISES: MINISTER UNDER PRESSURE

As Dementor activity in Scotland increases daily, the Minister for Magic is facing continued scrutiny over her response or lack thereof.

Concern around this issue among the magical community is growing, especially relating to the safety of Scottish Muggles who are falling prey to the negative effects of the Dementors and are being disproportionately attacked owing to their proximity to offshore breeding grounds.

The Minister is facing tough questions about the success of her Anti-Dementor Task Force as well as her Patronus Initiative. The first has yet to yield any results and the second, which calls upon Scottish wizards and witches to protect their neighbours in place of aurors, has had a very low take-up.

Wizengamot member, Draco Malfoy, who has recently spoken out against Minister Granger-Weasley had this to say on the matter:

‘Dementors are running free, and the Minister has done nothing! Potter’s auror response has been more of a farce than a force. One has to wonder how seriously they are taking this crisis when they allow Marcus Maxwell, the very capable Head of the Auror Office to go on sabbatical to teach at Hogwarts!’

The article left Gideon more confused than ever about his father’s appointment at Hogwarts. He had always been so serious about his job. If things were so bad, just what was he doing here? Was it really worth it, just to keep an eye on Gideon, if that was what he was doing? Had his mother’s injury affected the man that much?

Gideon didn’t know. What he was sure of, was that he was exhausted. After almost two weeks of non-stop studying, he needed an early night. He climbed into bed that evening and quickly drifted off. He dreamt of running across the school grounds while being chased by a swarm of books. The books soon caught up to him and piled on him.

Then, a hand reached out as if to pull him free of the scrum. Suddenly, the books were gone, and his surroundings changed. The extended hand belonged to a dark-haired young woman. She was reaching for him and calling his name.

Gideon felt compelled to reach out to her, but in place of his own limb he found an abnormally short arm with an abnormally tiny hand. It seemed very important that their hands met but he just couldn’t reach her. Suddenly, a wall of flames came between them and the last thing he saw was the woman’s pained expression as she was consumed by the fire.

‘Noooo!’ Gideon called out as he lurched up in his bed, his heart racing.

It was fading as all dreams did upon waking, but he remembered it. This was the nightmare that had been plaguing his sleeping thoughts, the one that he couldn’t recall until now. He finally knew what it was about, but now almost wished he didn’t. It had been an awful vision. He couldn’t wipe the woman’s look of anguish from his mind.

‘You alright, Gideon?’ asked Dorian considerately from the next bed.

It was dark. Gideon had been asleep for a while, but he didn’t know for how long. He could hear soft snores coming from the other beds. ‘Just a bad dream. Sorry if I woke you up,’ he said apologetically while laying back down on his side, pulling his knees up to his chest and gathering the covers around him tightly.

‘What about?’ Dorian questioned quietly.

Gideon considered that for a few moments before responding, ‘I don’t know. I can’t remember.’ In truth, though, he felt with an unexplainable but absolute certainty, that the woman from his dream had been his birth mother, Gwendoline Drake.