Hogwarts Mystery Year 7

Wandless Magic

"I guess I'll try talking with her at History of Magic," she muttered. 

"An interview with the main suspect. Good idea," said Corey, diving into his eggs. 

Corey stuck close to Sarah's side on the walk to History of Magic and took a the seat next to her at the front table, the place usually occupied by Barnaby. 

Barnaby raised a questioning eyebrow when he saw his seat taken, but merely shrugged and sat down with Charlie instead. Sarah kept an eye on the door. Merula was the last to enter. She rose to speak to her, but Professor Binns took that moment to drift in through the blackboard and begin the lesson on Emeric the Evil. 

He droned on, nearly boring himself to sleep as well as his students, and Sarah found herself tuning out as usual. She glanced over and noticed that Corey wasn't bothering to take notes. This was by no means unusual for students in this class, but Sarah would've assumed Corey to be the exception, as studious as he seemed to be. 

He caught her curious glance and whispered, "I already know everything there is to know about Emeric the Evil. I'm something of a wizarding history and pop culture connoisseur."

"Good," said Sarah, "you can help me study later, because I won't be able to stay awake much longer." 

Corey chuckled. 

When the bell rang, Sarah jumped up to catch Merula before she left, Corey hot on her heels. To her surprise, Merula was waiting for her in the back of the room, her arms folded.  

"You wanted to talk to me, Spellman?" she asked. "Or did you just want to hear about me from your spies?"

Sarah glanced at Corey, who smiled guiltily. He must've forgotten to remind his "contacts" to be subtle. 

"I've hardly seen you since we got back," Sarah explained. "Not on the train or at the feast. I was worried about you." 

"Careful, or I'll think you actually missed me over the summer."

"What did you do over the summer?"

Merula unfolded her arms. "And what business is it of yours?"

"That's what friends do after they come back from the summer, Merula. Talk about each other's holidays." 

Merula grinned. "Oh, you wanna try the whole 'friendship' thing again? You know, that's always gone so brilliantly in the past." She chuckled as Sarah rolled her eyes. "My summer was pretty boring, actually. I just studied and trained up. Oh, and ignored invitations from Barnaby's gran to his and my engagement party." 

Corey gasped, but Sarah ignored the bait. Merula was keeping her cool, and so would she. 

"Studied and trained? What for?"

"Continuing to prove I'm the most powerful witch at Hogwarts, what else? I mean, it's obvious to everyone by now, but I can always improve."

"I guess some things never change," Sarah muttered. This conversation was getting her nowhere. She decided to press Merula, just a bit. "So, I was talking to the others in the Circle about R, and--"

"R? Aren't we done with that?" she asked. 

Sarah stared at her. "How can we be done? They're still out there!"

"Yeah, but they're not bothering us anymore. Rakepick's rotting in Azkaban. My revenge is complete. Time to move on."

Sarah folded her arms. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was Merula trying to throw her off the scent?

Merula smiled again. "Alright, Spellman. If you wanna know exactly what I've been up to all summer, meet me on the training grounds during free period. I'm happy to show you."