Yule Balls and Old Foes

Chapter 10

A/N: The more I write this, the more anxious I'm becoming because I usually write 10-chapter fics, but I'm kind of challenging myself to let the plot, the story in itself breathe a lot longer compared to before. I hope I'm doing okay though. I also referenced a spell that in the game canon, wouldn't exist until decades later. But whatever.

And I also kind of lied with this being the party chapter, sorry. We finally know who Nick is!

~ 

As Norah learned, the secret passageway to Hogsmeade would be packed with students on the days of house parties. Prefects provided some cover, along with Gladwin Moon, who would assist in bringing in barrels of butterbeer to the school. If there were teachers that questioned, the cool Hogwarts caretaker would only brush it off as acquiring some flesh-eating slug repellents instead. After all, the One-eyed Witch passage was the only way they could bring in several other drinks and food from Hogsmeade back to Hogwarts without Black or any prissy student, prefect, portrait, gargoyle, or nearby house elf noticing much.

Hufflepuffs were lucky when it came to their parties. They need only take food from the kitchens nearby, with the house elves happily obliging, sometimes even to the point where they happily demanded they bring back more than what they needed.

She was on a little day trip to upper Hogsfield, noticing the old goblin encampment nearby had turned into a wide space where many of its residents held picnics, painted the scenery, and flew kites. After what was happening the entire week, she needed a little break from wandering about the castle. In a span of a year, so much had already changed.

"Ah! Norah! How have you been? Up to your ears with NEWT subjects?" Claire Beaumont, a local merchant whose brother she helped locate, greeted her when she approached. "People are still talking about you taking down Ranrok and his loyalists. You've become quite a heroine."

Norah smiled. "I've been alright, Ms. Beaumont. Just spending my weekend as usual. And yes, I've been up to my ears with all the homework," She said. "How are things?"

"Ah, well, relatively peaceful as usual. Since you took down the loyalist encampments and Ranrok, no ashwinder nor loyalist has set foot in these parts," Claire explained. "But, I do fear now that Harlow's back on the run, growing his followers, that things might go back to the way they were before you came in."

An opportunity to get back on the path to catching Harlow once again, she thought. With all the fuss over Professor Ronen's secret summoners and homework, she nearly forgot she was on the hunt for Harlow since his escape from Azkaban a month ago. "Ms. Beaumont, I don't suppose you haven't...heard of anything else regarding Harlow, have you?" She said, quietly enough that hardly anyone around them heard.

Claire seemed to get the idea of where Norah was coming from. "You're still so young and you're already having to do something no girl your age has to," She sighed. "But, I would advise you to stay away from Horklump Hollow and Spinners Cavern. I heard he's assembling some of his men and women in those places."

"What?" Norah knew of those two places, having ventured into both during fifth year. "Quite risky, assembling in there. They could've easily been killed."

"That's what I thought too," Claire nodded. "I reckon they've turned everything in there upside down and formed their own fortresses. It's too dangerous for you. You should just let the authorities take it from here. You've done enough, you needn't concern yourself with Harlow anymore."

She smiled and shook her head. "He will be after me regardless if I go to him or not, Ms. Beaumont. But you didn't hear it from me."

As she purchased a few potion ingredients, it was now making her think of what to do with Claire's information. She suddenly thought of what Sebastian and Ominis might be up to at the castle. They knew where she was, since she told them before apparating. Did she want to ask for Natty and Poppy's help? Could she get Amit to get down from the Astronomy tower for a moment?