"Hard to believe Madam Villanelle is a thief," Ben muttered, watching the proprietor place books on the shelf.
"I'm sure she's not, Ben," Sarah answered. "But she may have information that'll lead us to the actual thief."
Ben shrugged. "I dunno. If Rakepick taught me anything, it's that people aren't always what they seem."
Not wanting to dwell on those words, Sarah led them up to Villanelle.
"Excuse me, Madam?"
She jumped. "Oh goodness me. Hello, Sarah. What can I do for you?"
"We're working with the ministry for a school project, and wanted to ask you about a misfiring wand at Ollivanders."
Madam Villanelle put down the book she was holding, confused. "Very well."
"Did you see anything suspicious when you were there today?" asked Ben.
"I haven't been in there today. I haven't been there in weeks."
Ben and Sarah glanced at each other.
"According to Ollivander's ledger, you were there this morning, Madam," said Sarah.
Villanelle frowned. "Actually, that sounds...yes! Yes, I remember now! I was there."
"What were you doing there?" asked Ben.
Villanelle scratched her head. "Umm..." She pulled out her wand and twirled it in her fingers. "Oh, that's right. I am thinking about purchasing a new wand. I went to try out a few, but I didn't buy anything."
"Did one of the wands you tried misfire?" asked Sarah gently.
"Yes...it did, now that you mention it," said Madam Villanelle. She shook her head. "Apologies, I've been quite forgetful lately. I may close the shop a little early and get some rest."
A thought struck Sarah. "Did you get a free sample of that Xeep solution, Madam?"
"Yes, I did! I'm quite grateful for it too. I'd nearly run out of my old bottle."
"How long have you been using it?"
"Oh, I'm not sure. I can't remember now. I'm sorry, but I do think I'll close up, if that's all. My head is weary."
"Of course," said Sarah, "thank you for your time."
They left and made their way back to the Leaky Cauldron.
"So two people who've been using this luscious lock stuff are also having memory problems," said Ben. "Doesn't seem like a coincidence." Sarah nodded. "Do you think it's a bad side effect, or did someone put it in on purpose?"
Sarah took a deep breath, trying to clear her head. "I'm guessing on purpose." She held out the fake wand they'd gotten from Ollivander. "Maybe whoever took the wand used the solution to make it harder for Ollivander to realize he'd been robbed."
"Who? Zenith Xeep?"
"Maybe," said Sarah. "But I don't see why she'd steal it. A famous Opera Diva could surely afford her own wand."
Ben shrugged. "Like I said, people aren't always what they seem."
Madam Minch was still out when they returned to the Ministry, so Sarah suggested they report their findings to the aurors. Moody seemed annoyed to be bothered at first, but he was soon following their story with rapt attention.
"Excellent work," he admitted, once they'd finished. He took the wand from Sarah. "We'll take a look at this. I'll send some obliviators to see if they can restore Ollivander and Villanelle's memories, and we'll do our best to round up all those samples."
"What about Zenith Xeep?" asked Ben.
"She'll need to be questioned. We'll bring her in. That, and getting hold of one of those bottles so we can determine what's in it, will be our top priority."
"I have one here," said Sarah, pulling it out of her pocket. "My friend Penny's good with potions. I could show it to her. If not, Professor Snape could surely--"
"You really don't think we have people like that in the Ministry, Spellman?" asked Moody.
"Oh. Right," she said sheepishly, placing the bottle in his outstretched hand.
***
Sarah and Ben filled the others in on their adventures as they walked from Dumbledore's office toward the Great Hall after work.
"That's wild," Tonks said. "A missing wand and a memory loss potion? You had more action than I did in the auror department. The only exciting thing in there was auror Joon lighting his partner's desk on fire after an argument."
"I just don't get why Zenith Xeep would be behind all this," said Sarah.
"She's not very nice," said Barnaby. "I could see her being a bad guy."
They all stared at him.
"You've met Zenith Xeep?" Charlie asked.
"She sang at my birthday party," he said. "My Gran is a big fan of hers."
"Well I'm convinced she's evil, then," said Charlie.
"We need to find her," said Ben. "She could be giving out more of that potion."
"Mad-Eye says he's on it," Sarah reminded him.
"Who knows how long that'll take!"
"Calm down. If anybody can track her down, it'll be Mad-Eye," said Charlie.
"You not coming to study?" Barnaby asked, noting that he and Sarah didn't stop at the Great Hall to meet the others.
"Quidditch practice," they said together.
"Don't you think there's more important matters to attend?" said Ben.
"How dare you?" gasped Charlie.
"Ben, there's nothing more we can do right now," said Sarah. "It's quidditch time. The first match is this weekend."
"But it's Ravenclaw versus Hufflepuff!"
"And we'll need to see how they play," said Charlie, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Come on, Spellman, we'll be late."
"Don't worry," she called to Ben, hurrying after Charlie. "We'll figure out what happened at Ollivander's, and what Xeep has to do with it."
***
But Ben had been right. When they returned to the Ministry, Mad-Eye informed them that Zenith Xeep seemed to have disappeared.
"We didn't find her at any of her usual haunts, and she never turned up to her next meet and greet," he growled. "She must have been tipped off that we were after her."
"So this confirms she knew what was in the bottles she was pushing," said Sarah.
"More than likely," said Moody. "But I doubt she was working alone. Probably someone paid her a great deal of money. We'll figure it out once we find her."
Ben hmphed. Sarah glanced to see he was red in the face.
"What about the potion?" he asked. "Did you figure out what was in it?"
"Yes," said Moody, staring Ben down. "It's essentially a very potent memory potion--vervain, lavender, and all that. But, this one was made especially powerful by wampus tears."
Sarah gawked at him. Her mind reeled. "The wampus in Hogsemeade!"
Moody nodded. "Now we know why the beast was so far from home. The tears would've needed to be fresh, so whoever's behind this must have kept the beast to fuel their supply. Until you got in the way, of course." He nodded to Sarah.
Sarah didn't say what she was thinking. It must all lead back to R. Merula must've been the one collecting the wampus for them, or at least collecting the tears, before it escaped. R were the ones behind the memory potion. Was Zenith Xeep a member?
"So what now?" she asked.
"We're developing a counter serum, which we'll soon administer to everyone who has taken the Xeep solution. Then, all we can do is keep our ears and eyes open until Xeep is found."
But Zenith didn't turn up for the rest of the week, and the only lead Sarah could think of was Merula, who she couldn't approach without being accused once more of spying. Ben seemed to think it was up to them to find her, and wanted to sneak off Hogwarts grounds to search himself. Normally, Sarah would agree, but she'd been expressly forbidding from acting without first consulting Moody, and anyway she had no idea where to look. If the aurors with all their resources couldn't find the opera star, how could a couple of students?
Ben was so cross with her about this that she was surprised he met with Charlie and the rest of the Gryffindors to walk down to the pitch for the first match of the season.
"Waste of time," she heard him mutter as they approached the stadium.
"Ugh, you disgust me, Spellman," said Skye, glowering at Sarah's blue scarf.
"Rath's a friend, Skye. I'm showing support."
Support for the enemy, and a dirty player."
"Not an enemy today."
"I'm less interested in Rath and more interested in the twins from Durmstrang," said Charlie. "I've heard they're pretty ruthless."
"They've never lost a match in their quidditch careers!" blurted McNully.
"Let's see what they're about before we start worrying," said Sarah, wrapping her scarf more tightly around her.
It was chilly today. There was a lot of cloud cover and a fair bit of wind; not ideal quidditch conditions, but at least they wouldn't be staring into the sun. Sarah and the other Gryffindors took their seats while McNully found his way to the commentator's box. The stands were packed, despite the weather. The first match of the year was one of the most exciting. Finally, after months of waiting, it was time for quidditch again.
"Hullo, and welcome to Hogwart's first Quidditch match of the season!" McNully called. "Today's game, Ravenclaw versus Hufflepuff!"
Cheers erupted as McNully announced the teams, who zoomed onto the pitch and took their positions. Madam Hooch released the bludgers, the sntich, and at last the quaffle. The game had begun.
"And they're off," called McNully, "Ravenclaw is the first with the quaffle, but--ooh!--already nailed by a bludger from Baglan Wellnelly. He and his twin Gruffyd, the Hufflepuff seeker, are transfers this year from Durmstrang, and they seemed determined to make their presence at Hogwarts known. Hufflepuff now with the quaffle..."
As the game progressed, Sarah marveled at the Wellnellys. They were large boys, but despite their stalkiness, they flew with amazing speed and grace. Erika Rath had certainly found a match. Baglan pelted bludgers just as ferociously as her, which she soon learned all too well.
"Ouch!" McNully could be heard over the groans in the crowd. "Rath is absolutely walloped by a bludger from Welnelly. She goes down!"
Rath had been knocked off her broom. Thankfully, she hadn't been too high in the air, but she still fell to the grass in a crumpled heap, where she lay unmoving.
Sarah leaned down over the stands to stare down at Rath, her heart pounding. Madam Hooch hand flown down to check on her.
"She's up folks!" called McNully. Sarah sighed with relief as the crowd clapped. "But, it looks like she's out for the day. She's apparently nursing an injured right arm as Hooch escorts her from the pitch. Meanwhile, it's Rose with the quaffle..."
Sarah's stomach squirmed.
Charlie patted the wall in front of them. "Consider it over. Without Rath, Ravenclaw has no chance."
He was right. Ravenclaw's other beater just couldn't keep up with Baglan. As soon as anyone on their team had hold of the quaffle, they were guaranteed to have a high-velocity meeting with a bludger. It was almost a mercy when Gruffyd broke into a daring dive, pulling up a mere three meters from the ground.
"He's got it!" McNully yelled. "Gruffyd's caught the snitch! Hufflepuff wins!"
Sarah and the others made concerned eyes as they followed the crowd toward the stadium exit, once the applauding was done.
"The twins are indeed a force to be reckoned with," Orion remarked.
"At least Rath got a taste of her own medicine," said Skye. "Serves her right. Now she knows what it feels like to get chucked in the hospital wing instead of playing the first game of the year."
"I think I'll go check on her," said Sarah, but she found herself being tugged on the arm by Ben.
"There's something I have to show you first," he said.
Intrigued, Sarah followed him around the stadium in the opposite direction all the students were taking toward the castle, until they came across a familiar witch dressed in hot pink robes.
"Hullo again, Sarah!" said Rita Skeeter. "I do hope you've got some juicy gossip to share."
"Rita," said Sarah flatly. "The Wellnellys were the star of the show today. Shouldn't you be interviewing them?"
She crossed her arms. "I already tried. Quite tight-lipped, those two. The one doesn't even speak at all. Though, I might pop into the hospital wing and visit Miss Rath. I'm sure this devastating defeat would be most interesting for my readers." She laughed at Sarah's angry glare. "Don't worry dear, it's not her I came to see, either. It's you."
"Me? Why?"
"I contacted her," said Ben. "She's prepared to reveal the location of Zenith Xeep in exchange for an exclusive interview with you."
Sarah frowned at Ben. "I thought we agreed to wait for Moody."
"You agreed," said Ben. "I want to take care of this now."
Sighing, she looked back at Rita. "The curses were over last year, Rita. You've got nothing to gain from an interview with me."
"Oh, I'll be the judge of that," she said. She opened her bag, and the long green quill and dreaded notepad emerged. "Your story is still quite entertaining to my readers, Sarah. We all want to know what you've been up to at the ministry, and how you're feeling about your eminent demise at the meaty hands of those twins."
Sarah felt her face turn red. "Fine," she said, "one interview."
Rita pulled no punches. As she'd promised, she questioned her relentlessly about her work at the ministry, especially the capturing of the wampus cat. She also asked about the quidditch season and how it would feel to lose her first match as captain. Sarah did her best to answer the questions civilly, and not to give too much away for Rita to shape into some terrible tale.
"I'm confident my team has what it takes to bring the quidditch cup home again," she huffed out after an hour. "Really, I think that's enough questions. Will you tell us what we need to know now?"
Rita regarded her coolly. The quill and notebook floated back into the handbag. "Yes, I think that'll work for now. I'll help you. If you do something for me."
"What?!"
"This was the something!" Ben blurted. "An interview for the information! You've had your interview, now give us the information."
Rita tutted. "Madam Xeep is a dear friend of mine, and a great source of gossip. I can't give her up for a few lines about Spellman's extracurriculars activities, no matter how juicy of a story they'll make."
Sarah fumed. "You conniving--!
"Ah ah," said Rita, holding out a hand. "Let's not get angry, dears. I'll still tell you what you want to know. I just need a tiny favor first." She held her finger and thumb a millimeter apart.
Sarah let out an angry huff. "What do you want?"
"You to use your connection to the ministry. I know something big is in the works, and I want to be the first to leak it to the public. All you have to do is sneak into an office for me, and bring me some evidence for my story."
"I'm not breaking into a ministry official's office, Rita!" Sarah blurted. "I'll get expelled, not to mention arrested."
"Only if you get caught, which we both know you're far too clever for." She grinned. "Come on, we wouldn't want someone to warn Zenith that you're looking for her, would we?"
"If you know where she is, you could be arrested for holding important information from the aurors," said Sarah. "Thought of that?"
"Perhaps," she said, playing with her long, pink fingernails. "But do you reckon you could tell the aurors on me before I could tell Zenith to pack her bags and disappear from your radar for good? I doubt it."
Sarah glared at her, and Rita grinned right back. Ben finally broke the silence.
"Who's office do you want us to search?"
"Glad you asked," she said, her voice chipper. "It's the head of the Improper Use of Magic Office. Madam Dolores Umbridge."