Kendra Kettleburn had no idea how difficult her new project was going to be. After meeting up with the boys during their first break (which was basically going over what they already had planned.), Kendra decided to just grab a snack and skip lunch so that she could get started right away. In an effort to get on the Fat Lady's good side, she decided to try and find something that she could have sent up to her, preferably something alcoholic. She started up a staircase, examining the portraits she passed by. She found one of a small wizard standing outside of a market, perusing a stall selling bottles of wine and wheels of cheese.
"Sir, do you suppose you could do me a favor?" Kendra asked. The little man turned around and stared at her.
"What sort of favor?" he asked, crossing his arms.
"I'd like to send up a gift to the Fat Lady on the seventh floor, could you bring her up a bottle of wine, and perhaps a cheese?"
"Do I look like a delivery service?" the little man asked.
"No. No you don't."
"If you want some wine and cheese, you're going to have to pay for it, and get someone else to deliver it," the man said.
"Well how on earth would I pay for it? Shove the Galleons through the canvas?" Kendra asked.
"No, no, with portrait money," the man said.
"How do I get some of that?"
"Perhaps if you perform some sort of service for one of the portraits, they'll allow you to claim a certain amount of portrait money to use," the man said.
"Is there something I could do for you?" Kendra asked.
"No. It's not going to be that easy," the man said. Kendra sighed. She thought about who might need help, who might provide help, and who might do deliveries for her. She had an epiphany.
"Thank you, sir, I will be back," Kendra said, and she hurried up the corridor to the nearest staircase. She scribbled notes down in her leather journal as she climbed the many flights of stairs to the seventh floor. From there, she had to figure out where she was, and determine where the South Tower was. As she got her bearings and headed down the corridor to the south, she at last came upon a painting in a lonely stretch of hallway. It was of a knight and a fat pony in a field. The knight was laying on the grass, snoring.
"Sir Cadogan," Kendra said, coming up to the painting. "Sir Cadogan?" There was a fair amount of snuffling, and then the helmeted head of Sir Cadogan lifted from the grass.
"Fair lady, how can I be of service to you?" he asked, slowly rising to his feet.
"I need you to perform a service on my behalf for another portrait, so that I may claim some portrait money and pay for some services for an entirely different portrait," Kendra said.
"Ah ha! A quest! I shall bravely face any quest you put before me!" Sir Cadogan bellowed, removing his sword from it's hilt and brandishing it.
"Good. Now, do you know of any portraits that might need some help from you?" Kendra asked. Sir Cadogan seemed to think about this for awhile. Thinking wasn't never something he was good at, it seemed.
"Oh yes!" he said, after a few moments. "There's a portrait of William Warburton in the fifth floor corridor, madam. His portrait, painted with him standing in his counting house, has plenty of gold in it, and he's been known to make loans to people in other portraits."
Kendra thought about this, then decided.
"Alright, why don't we meet down on the fifth floor and we'll talk to this William Warburton," she said.
"As you wish, my lady!" Sir Cadogan said. Kendra knew they'd probably get there about the same time, since it would take some time for Sir Cadogan to successfully mount his steed.
William Warburton was an unpleasant-looking man with an enormous mustache and a large belly, shown leaning against his desk and surrounded by gold. His raise an eyebrow as Kendra approached, and she saw Sir Cadogan galloping through a still-life on the other side of Warburton.
"Excuse me, sir, may I trouble you for a moment?" Kendra asked, trying to sound as meek and pleasant as she could. William Warburton grunted at her, and she took this as a sign to proceed. "I'm in the need of some portrait money, and you seem to be a man who has plenty. Is there perhaps a service that may be done for you in exchange for my being able to claim some gold?"
"A quest, fine sir! I'm ready for anything!" Sir Cadogan added, catching Warburton's attention.
"You are a knight, then?" Warburton asked Sir Cadogan. Kendra guess Warburton didn't leave his gold unattended for long, because it wasn't as though Sir Cadogan kept to himself.
"A knight indeed!" Sir Cadogan replied. "I am Sir Cadogan. I'm ready and willing to perform any task, take on any quest!"
"Well, then perhaps we can make an arrangement," Warburton said. "I have several clients I've loaned money to over the years that have failed to repay their debt to me. I am reluctant to leave my painting, as my gold would be unattended. Perhaps you, Sir Cadogan, could go around and persuade my clients to pay their debt to me, and in exchange I will make the young lady here owner of a small amount of portrait gold."
"How small? It sounds like Sir Cadogan will have quite a task on his hands, not to mention I have many gifts I need to provide to different portraits," Kendra interrupted.
Warburton, unsmiling, turned to his desk, and slid a pile of gold into his hands and placed it on a scale positioned on his desk.
"Will this be satisfactory?" he asked Kendra. Her eyes widened.
"Yes, that would be very nice of you. Sir Cadogan will start immediately," Kendra assured him.
"Fear not, Sir Warburton, I will not fail you! I'll find the dogs who've taken you for your money and force them to pay," Sir Cadogan promised. Warburton nodded, and handed Sir Cadogan a roll of parchment, listing the portraits that owed him money.
"Thank you, Mr. Warburton, we'll make sure that we get your money for you," Kendra said, and she led Sir Cadogan back up to the seventh floor.
"Alright, I leave you to your quest," Kendra said, "but I don't want you to take a long time to do this, I have things to do, you know. Also, after you're done, I'll have another quest for you, so be sure to come find me."
"As you wish, my dear lady," Sir Cadogan replied, and with a glance at his list, he galloped off to start his quest.
Warren and Wilbur had Herbology with the Slytherins after lunch, and found themselves at a long table facing a most repulsive-looking plant.
"Good afternoon class," Professor Longbottom said from the front of the greenhouse. "Today we will be harvesting the pus of the Bubotuber plant. Who can tell me the properties of Bubotuber pus?"
Warren raised his hand, but Augustus Gravelle, on the other side of the table from him, got his up first.
"Mr. Gravelle?" Professor Longbottom said. Augustus smiled over at Warren.
"Bubotuber pus is used for skin treatments, being most efficacious in treating acne," Augustus said.
"Correct, that's five points to Slytherin," Professor Longbottom said. "The visible part of the plant, the thick, black, squirming, slug-like thing you see before you, is covered in multiple protrusions, which when squeezed will produce a thick, yellow pus. There could be some rather unpleasant results if the pus come in contact with your skin, so please utilize your dragon-hide glove. I have provided bottles in which to collect the pus. Happy squeezing, all."
Warren had known that the Ravenclaws always had Herbology with the Slytherins, but he had not expected Augustus Gravelle to sit directly across from him. This was going to make talking to Professor Longbottom a bit more difficult. He pulled on his dragon-hide gloves, moved a bottle close to his bubotuber, and commenced with the squeezing. He had to admit, there was a certain satisfaction to squeezing the pustules and extracting the pus. He collected it into his bottle, and proceeded to the next pustule. Across from him, Augustus had caught his eye and smiled at him.
"How's your first day going, Warren?" Augustus asked, squeezing his own pustules. A thick smell of petrol was starting to penetrate the air of the greenhouse.
"Quite well, thank you," Warren said, keeping his eye on his pus. "Yours?"
"Oh good, good. I couldn't help but notice you in the library during the break. I see you've met Ms. Kettleburn. Is she joining you on your mysterious mission, this year?" Augustus asked.
"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," Warren said, tilting a bottle towards his bubotuber to better catch the pus.
"Or perhaps she's decided to become a new member of the GSA?" Augustus suggested.
"Indeed, she has," Warren said, hoping Kendra wouldn't be too upset with him when he told her the news. "She's always felt that Slytherins have been discriminated against for too long."
"Really. I had no idea," Augustus said. "We've been in the Gobstone's club for two years together now, and she's never mentioned it."
"Perhaps she didn't feel she knew you well enough to discuss it," Warren said, cursing his luck. Gobstone's club. Who would have guessed? Warren had always intended to join the Gobstone's club, simply to add it to his list of school activities, but he found himself so busy as it was, and he never really cared for the game. He had seen some very pretty sets of Gobstones, in shops, though, and often wondered if he should join.
"Perhaps," Augustus said. "I dare say she'll make an interesting addition to our meetings. She's quite sharp, from what I've seen."
"She is, yes," Warren said. He wished Augustus would just shut up so he could squeeze his pus in peace.
"She's a bit worried over germs, though," Augustus said. "She always wipes off her Gobstones after each use, and always utilizes personal protective equipment when in competition, so as not to get squirted on. I'm surprised you've never joined the Gobstones club, considering how interested in school activities you are."
"I've never been very good at it," Warren said.
Professor Longbottom was walking up and down the greenhouse, inspecting the progress of the students. Warren knew he couldn't call him over to him to speak with him, not with Augustus sitting in front of him. Professor Longbottom was all the way down at the end of the table, looking over the shoulder of a Slytherin boy who was making quite a mess. Warren wondered how upset Professor Longbottom would be if he just went over to him in the middle of class to ask him questions completely unrelated to bubotubers. He decided it was a necessary risk.
"Excuse me," Warren said, pulling off his gloves and leaving the table. He wandered down to where Professor Longbottom was helping the Slytherin boy with his technique for getting the pus into the bottle. Warren walked over to him and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Professor Longbottom, sir, do you think I could speak to you for a moment?" Warren asked, as Professor Longbottom turned.
"Certainly, Warren, did you have a question?"
"Not about Bubotubers," Warren said. He backed away from the table, leading Professor Longbottom away from the other students. He noticed Augustus was looking over at them. "I know this is not the appropriate time, but this is the only time I usually see you. I'm working on a project this year to uncover the secrets of Hogwarts, and I was wondering what you can tell me about the secret, magical room mentioned in Harry Potter's biography. It was used for DA meetings, and in the last battle. Do you know the one?"
"Well, yes, Warren, I do," Professor Longbottom said. "But in my opinion, I think that it should be up to the individual to figure out how to find the room, and only when it is needed. It is secret for a reason, and could be quite dangerous if used for the wrong purposes."
That was not what Warren had wanted to hear.
"Can you at least suggest where I might start my search?" Warren asked. Professor Longbottom smiled.
"I think you should get back to your Bubotubers, Warren.
Disappointed, Warren returned to his position at the table, and pulled his dragon-hide gloves back on.
"How did it go?" Wilbur asked.
"Not well," Warren said, preparing another bottle.
"Did you have a question for him about Bubotubers?" Augustus asked. "I find them fairly straight-forward."
At this point, WiIbur decided to speak up.
"Mr. Gravelle, I would think a young man of your wit and charm would know when something was not his business," Wilbur said.
"Of course, forgive me," Augustus said with a pleasant smile. He turned to Warren. "I didn't mean to pry."
"That's alright, Augustus, I know that you too share my inquisitive nature," Warren said, and he squeezed another pustule with perhaps more force than was required.
The group met again on their next break in the library, this time at a small table hidden between two large bookshelves. Kendra was a little late getting to the meeting.
"Is everything alright?" Warren asked her as she borrowed a handkerchief from Wilbur to wipe her chair down with.
"Sort of," Kendra said. "My plan to get the portraits to talk to me is taking longer than I had hoped, and it's getting rather complicated."
Kendra told them about her meeting with Sir Cadogan and William Warburton, and then proceeded to tell them what had caused her to be late.
On her way downstairs from her afternoon Divination class, she had noticed a large crowd of students on the fifth floor landing, and heard the faint sound of a woman screaming. She went down the stairs toward the group, wanting to see what was causing the commotion, and discovered a portrait of a distressed-looking witch on the wall. Sir Cadogan was standing over her, brandishing his sword.
"Give me the money, you miserable wench!" he shouted as the witch screamed and scrambled around her portrait. Sir Cadogan was on her right, and he had place his pony on her left, leaving her with no way to escape, which Kendra had to admit was abnormally clever of him.
"Alright, everybody, clear off, there's nothing to see here," Kendra said, dispersing the crowd. "Off to your classes, then." She waited while the other students moved off down the stairs until she leaned to speak to Sir Cadogan.
"Hey! Stop yelling at her!" Kendra said. Sir Cadogan looked up and saw Kendra. He bowed, putting away his sword.
"Madam?"
"Sir Cadogan, if you are going to do this, you are going to have to be more discreet. I can't have you drawing all this attention to yourself," Kendra said. "And furthermore, this poor woman is terrified. That isn't accomplishing anything."
Kendra turned towards the woman, who she saw was a nun.
"Do you have the money you owe Warburton?" Kendra asked the nun. She shook her head.
"No, mum, I don't," the nun said, looking over at Sir Cadogan.
"Well then, you will need to figure out a way to get it. Sir Cadogan will come back for the money. It's extremely important that Mr. Warburton collect his debts at this time, and we would appreciate your full cooperation," Kendra said.
The nun nodded her agreement, and Sir Cadogan rushed off to harass another debtor.
"This doesn't sound like it's going to be very discreet," Warren said, when Kendra had finished her story.
"I did warn Sir Cadagon that discretion was of top importance in this quest. However, should you happen to see him drawing attention to himself on your way to class, be sure to go over and have a word with him," Kendra said. "Once Sir Cadagon collects on Warburton's debts, I'll have a nice stack off gold to butter up potential portrait informants. Also, once Sir Cadogan is done with this quest, he will help me in mine, getting the portraits to tell us their secrets."
"I think it's a solid plan," Wilbur said. "The only questionable part would be the use of Sir Cadogan, but he's the most ready and willing to help, so we'll just have to keep an eye out for him,"
"I agree," Warren said. "Good job, Kendra. Now I have to tell you about a wonderful opportunity that has arisen for you."
"Oh? What's that?" Kendra asked.
"I had to lie to Augustus Gravelle today because he saw us talking to you in the library earlier. So I said that you were interested in joining the GSA," Warren confessed.
"What's that?" Kendra asked.
"It's the Group for Slytherin Acceptance that I started back in my first year," Warren explained. "I'm sorry if this inconveniences you, but I had little choice."
"Oh that's alright," Kendra said. "There was nothing you could have done. We're all in this together, aren't we? When does the GSA meet?"
"Thursdays, after classes, in the library," Warren said. "I thank you for being so understanding."
"No problem. So what did you guys find out?"
"Nothing," Warren said. When I was finally able to ask Professor Longbottom what he knew about the secret magical room, he told that he thought it was better if I figured it out on my own."
"Oh. How disappointing," Kendra said. "What about you, Fuzzy?"
"They put me in charge of questioning the ghosts, but I havn't had time yet. Now that classes are over I'll be able to, though," Fuzz-Head replied. Kendra handed him a blank journal.
"Be sure to write down everything they say, even it sounds like nonsense," Kendra said. "I kept a record so far of my interactions with the portraits, writing down everything that's said."
"That's excellent, Kendra," Warren said.
"So what are you boys planning to do about this room?" Kendra asked.
"I'll have to start writing people. I have a whole list of DA members I can write to, and I'll write to Harry Potter himself if I have to," Warren said.
"Actually, you should try talking to Ron Weasley. He and his brother probably alternate between locations, but there's a strong possibility you'll be able to find him at the Weasley Wizard Wheezes in Hogsmeade at some point," Kendra said. "He was with Harry Potter through it all, and I'll bet he could tell you all kinds of things."
"Perhaps I will," Warren said, pondering what Kendra had said.
The Astronomy Tower by Moon110581
Chapter Notes: While Kendra deals with her plan for the portraits, Warren tries to talk to Professor Longbottom.