Fuzz-Head realized that while he wasn't the brains of the operation, he was definitely an important player. What was more perfect for a mission than to have two Ravenclaws working out the details, with two Hufflepuffs helping with the grunt work? Fuzz-Head also knew that he and Kendra were two different Hufflepuffs. Kendra was smart, but she prioritized hard work and effort, and her loyalty, which made her a Hufflepuff rather than a Ravenclaw. Fuzz-Head was best working on something than thinking about something, and equally loyal. Two Ravenclaws on a secret mission couldn't have asked for a better pair than Fuzz-Head and Kendra. It also made Fuzz-Head happy to be helping others, and keeping busy, two attributes his parents had always tried to instill in him.
Nearly-Headless Nick was at the top of the list that Fuzz-Head had written out to remind him of all the key ghost in Hogwarts. He put Nearly Headless Nick and The Fat Friar at the top because he figured they'd be the easiest to talk to. The Bloody Baron and Peeves were down at the bottom of that list. Fuzz-Head knew that Nick was the Gryffindor ghost, and had a vague idea of where the Gryffindor common room was. From what he could tell, the entrance to Gryffindor tower must be on the seventh floor, and so it was to the seventh floor that Fuzz-Head headed for while looking for Nick. Just because he was the Gryffindor ghost didn't mean he'd necessarily be by their common room, either, but it was as good a place as any to start looking.
Nearly-Headless Nick, however, was no where to be found on the seventh floor. Nor was he to be found on the sixth floor, or the fifth. On the fourth floor he bumped into the Grey Lady and asked her if she had seen Nick. She pointed vaguely and disappeared through a wall. Undaunted, Fuzz-Head continued down to the third floor, along the Charms corridor, and through the trophy room. There, to his amazement, was Nearly Headless Nick, chatting with some unfamiliar ghost.
"Sir Nicholas!" Fuzz-Head cried, remembering to address him properly as Kendra had warned him. "I've been looking for you everywhere."
"Oh? How can I be of service?" Nick asked, dismissing the other ghost.
"Well, sir, I am on a secret mission this year to find out any and all secrets about Hogwarts. Do you have any you'd like to share with me?" Fuzz-Head asked. Nick thought about this.
"I could tell you about my execution," Nick suggested.
"Is that a secret?"
"No, I suppose not," Nick said. "Are you familiar with the details?"
"From what I've heard, you accidentally gave a young woman a tusk while trying to straighten her teeth, and they executed you with a dull axe, requiring forty-five strokes to finish the job, and yet still leaving your head attached by a slim margin," Fuzz-Head answered.
"My goodness, I suppose it's really not a secret, then," Nick said. "What else would you like to know?"
"Do you know about any secret passageways in the school?"
"I don't have any use for secret passageways, I can drift through walls," Nick said.
"I suppose that's true," Fuzz-Head said. "What about when you were alive and attending Hogwarts?"
"That was over 500 years ago, young man," Nick said.
"Hmm...What about secret treasures, or rooms, or anything?"
"I really don't know anything about that sort of thing," Nick said. He then paused, thinking to himself. His pearly, translucent shape reflected off the different trophies. "Now, I did hear a ridiculous rumor awhile back..."
"Oh? What was it about?" Fuzz-Head asked, his quill poised over his journal.
"Well, The Fat Friar was blathering on one day some time ago about some mystery regarding Helga Hufflepuff," Nick said. "According to him, Helga Hufflepuff had been betrayed by a young wizard when she was a girl. He had been a con-artist, playing on her affections until he was able to abscond with quite a bit of her jewelry. Upon discovering the betrayal, Ms. Hufflepuff went into a rage, hunted down the young wizard, and chopped off his head. She then had it covered in gold and jewels from the jewelry he'd stolen and had it placed where it could remind her of her past foolishness. In later years, fearing someone might steal the head, she was said to have hidden it somewhere in the school, where no one would be able to find it."
"That cannot possibly be true," Fuzz-Head said.
"The Fat Friar has been known to spout a bit of nonsense from time to time, I agree," Nick said.
"That is so unlikely I have no doubt that he made it all up, most likely just for the attention," Fuzz-Head said vehemently.
"Of course, he did," Nick said, trying to mollify the boy. He seemed to be taking this story quite personally. "I'm sure the Fat Friar was mistaken."
Fuzz-Head was distressed by this tale, and by the fact that The Fat Friar, Hufflepuff House's own ghost, would perpetuate it. With a great sigh and considerable self-control, Fuzz-Head wrote down what Nick had reported to him in his journal.
"Is there anything else you could tell me?" Fuzz-Head asked. "With over 500 years bound to this earth surely you must have something more than idle gossip about a fine woman of historical and magical importance?"
Nick wasn't sure how to proceed, but he knew he had upset the boy and tried to think of something he could send him off with. He suddenly thought of something, startling himself with excitement his head rolled to the side and had to be set right.
"Oh! I have something perfect for you!" Nick exclaimed. "It's down in the dungeons. I don't know why I didn't think of it before...."
"What? What is it?" Fuzz-Head asked, quite excited by this new development.
"It's the old potions storeroom," Nick said. "Until around 1612, the potion supplies and pre-made potions were kept in a small dungeon room, outfitted with shelves and cupboards and everything you could possibly need. However, at that same time, a goblin rebellion had sprung up, this time near Hogsmeade. The goblins used a Hogsmeade inn for their headquarters, and the fighting became quite bloody. One of their heroes, Urg the Unclean, made a desperate attempt to sneak into Hogwarts one night in order to raid the castle for supplies. He came in through the dungeons, and discovered the potions storeroom. Unfortunately, he had been followed by one of the wizard warriors, Archibald Flaxley, who shot a spell at him as he was coming out of the storeroom. It was the body-binding curse, and in a punishment most heinous, Flaxley dragged the goblin into the storeroom, and sealed it shut with brick and mortar. The goblin was left in the sealed storeroom, unable to move, until he finally died of starvation."
"Didn't someone notice the storeroom had been sealed up?" Fuzz-Head asked.
"Oh yes, Flaxley later sent an owl to the headmaster explaining what had happened to his potions storeroom. Considering the nature of it's new contents, the headmaster was content to leave things as they were, and decided the potion ingredients would be stored in the potions master's office, where it would be seen on a regular basis and accessed only by the potions master," Nick explained.
"Merlin's beard!" Fuzz-Head cried. "You never told anyone about this?"
"It was well-known in it's day," Nick said. "I've had little reason to think about it since."
That made perfect sense to Fuzz-Head. Everybody knew about it back in 1612, but as years passed and people died, no one really had any reason to care about the storeroom, and soon no one was left who remembered it, except for maybe some ghosts.
Warren was going to be so pleased.
Fuzz-Head realized it was getting late in the evening, but he refused to go back to the common room until he had spoken to the Fat Friar. Starting with the third floor, Fuzz-Head made his search on his way to the ground floor, where he saw the Fat Friar talking quietly to Brandon O'Malley, a third year Hufflepuff. Fuzz-Head stomped across the Entrance Hall towards the Fat Friar, who looked up and saw the frightening expression on Fuzz-Head's face. Brandon saw it too and decided to head back to the common room.
"Ah, young Alderton, what seems to be the problem?" The Fat Friar asked.
"Have you been spreading a ridiculous rumor that Helga Hufflepuff chopped off someone's head and had it covered in gold and jewels?" Fuzz-Head asked, glaring up at the ghost. The Fat Friar had the decency to look rather embarassed by this accusation.
"I merely was passing on a shocking and blasphemous rumor I had heard," The Fat Friar said, looking around to see if anyone was listening.
"Really? Are you sure that was all it was?" Fuzz-Head asked.
"Oh yes, it was so ludicrous I had to tell Sir Nicholas. I had no doubt he'd find it as scandalous as I did."
Fuzz-Head calmed down a little.
"Well, fine. Please be sure no one else hears about it, I'd hate for anyone to think it was true," Fuzz-Head said. "Oh, and I need to ask you some questions, perhaps tomorrow. Would you like to meet me somewhere so I don't have to search the whole castle for you?"
"Oh. Certainly, young man."
"Excellent. Why don't I meet you in the trophy room during lunch?" Fuzz-Head suggested. "Oh, by the way, where did you hear that rumor about Helga Hufflepuff?"
"I believe it was something Rita Skeeter had written, that someone thought it would be amusing to pass on to me."
Late that night, Warren and Wilbur sat in the Ravenclaw common room by the fire. Warren was finishing a cup of tea. Wilbur was writing something in his notebook.
"I think I'll sneak down to the kitchen for a snack," Warren said. "Would you like to join me?"
"No, I think I'd rather go to bed," Wilbur said.
"Alright, then, I shall see you in the morning," Warren said, heading out of the common room. His insomnia was bothering him more than usual, and he found himself staying up later and later. A nice walk and something good to eat ought to settle him down.
As he headed down the stairs toward the first floor, he saw a figure coming up the staircase, carrying a basket. As he got closer he saw it was Madam Yuan. She looked up and smiled.
"Mr. Bones, how nice to see you," Madam Yuan said. Warren saw she carried a basket of oranges. "You are not sleeping?"
"I have trouble sleeping," Warren said. "I was going to go find a snack from the kitchens."
"You may have an orange. I was going to make some tea. I can't sleep either," Madam Yuan said. "Would you care to join me?"
"That would be nice," Warren said, taking an orange Madam Yuan held out to him. He followed her up the stairs and down a hallway, to a room he'd never notice before.
Inside was a small parlor, with a hallway leading to other rooms. In the parlor there lovely Chinese paintings on the walls, some nice dark wood furniture, and some painted lamps. By one of the walls was a low work table, and stretched across it was a tapestry Madam Yuan was repairing. Warren recognized it as the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy from the seventh floor. Madam Yuan set the basket of oranges on the table.
"Please, have a seat. I will go and make the tea," Madam Yuan said. Warren sat down and began peeling his orange, admiring the artwork on the walls. There were a few photographs, as well. There were several of Mr. and Mrs. Yuan in China, looking happy on what must have been their wedding day. There was one picture that was quite different. It showed Mrs. Yuan, standing in a field on a stormy day, the wind blowing her hair back. In front of her is the smoldering wreckage of a large house.
Mrs. Yuan came back in after a short time, carrying a tray with the tea. She sat the tray on the table, set out the tea cups, and poured tea into each one. Warren took a sip of the warm tea, discovering it was a particularly nice green tea.
"I was enjoying your pictures while you were making the tea," Warren said.
"Yes, many memories," Madam Yuan said. "Some good, some bad. All in the past."
"Why did you decide to leave China and come here?" Warren asked.
"I felt I needed to leave for awhile. Some people thought some bad things about me. Mr. Yuan, he suggested we come to Hogwarts, where the most dark wizard was defeated. It would bring us better luck."
"What did people in China think about you?" Warren asked, then realized she might think he was being rude. "If you don't mind me asking."
"My husband before Mr. Yuan was a dark wizard, and some people think I was bad too," Madam Yuan said. Warren was startled. She had been married to a dark wizard? That would be like if Voldemort had a wife. No wonder people had thought bad things about her. "Would you like to hear the story?"
"Yes, if you don't mind," Warren said, taking another sip of tea. It was very good tea, and it as relaxing him. "I'd love to hear about witches and wizards in China, I've never been."
"I don't mind," Madam Yuan said. "When I was a young girl I was very beautiful and very willful. I had fallen in love with a young wizard named Ju-Long. My parents did not like him, they said he was too headstrong, and would bring me misfortune. I did not care. Ju-Long was handsome and smart, and once we were married he brought us to his beautiful family home at the base of the mountains, far away from muggles and my family."
"At first I enjoyed my new married life. I'd go out into the large garden and practice my charms, or plant flowers. We had many servants to do the chores, and a wonderful cook who made me many wonderful things to eat. Since his family was all gone, it was just the two of us other than the servants, and we enjoyed each other's company. Ju-Long was a very skilled potion maker, and he made many wonderful potions that he sold to wizard shops in the cities, and I was content to help him with these, and work in the garden. For awhile we had a very nice marriage."
"Then one day Ju-Long woke me up, early in the morning. He was very upset, and excited. He told me that his ancestors had come to him in a dream, and told him that they wanted him to bring them back so that they too could enjoy our bountiful life. I told him it was only a dream, that it was not possible to bring back his ancestors, but he shook his head. I was wrong, he had had a vision, and that he must think of some way to bring back his ancestors. He believed that if he did not do as the vision told him, that we would be cursed with bad luck for the rest of our days. He decided he must find an answer, and began to take long trips, coming home often with many old books. He'd stay up long into the night, poring over those books, trying to find the secret that would bring his family back to life."
"I was worried, but Ju-Long would not listen to me. He'd go out behind the house, where his family was buried, and spend many hours. Then one night, I hear Ju-Long outside, laughing like a madman. I went out and I saw corpses, most of them little more than skeletons, walking around by themselves. I backed away, afraid, but Ju-Long only laughed at what he thought was his triumph. He thought he had brought his family back to life. I thought he simply made skeletons that could move on their own. He would not hear a word I said, though. I tried to tell him that these weren't his family, they were just mindless moving skeletons. Ju-Long would yell at me, and tell me I was insulting his family. He moved them into the house, and gave them rooms. He'd present them with the best dishes of food, even though they would just sit at the table watching us eat."
"This hadn't gone on for very long before a wizard from the council came to our house while Ju-Long was away with the skeletons, trying to improve on them. This wizard told me he must speak to Ju-Long, as a passing wizard, and at least one Muggle, had seen the moving skeletons, and he wanted to know what was going on. I did not know what to say. I did not want to betray my husband's secrets, but I also knew what he had done was wrong. I told him to come back tomorrow. When Ju-Long returned with the skeletons, I told him about the wizard who had come to our home and what he had said. Ju-Long became angry, and went back to his books. Before long he was making a new potion, and he worked long into the night."
"The next morning, Ju-Long carried the cauldron out to the front of the house and dropped something in, causing a thick red smoke to pour out of the cauldron. It moved through the air and encircled our house, creating a barrier of red smoke. When the council wizard arrived, I could tell he did not know what the smoke was or what he should do. In the end, he decided to walk through it, and he died when he passed through it. "
"I was very frightened. I asked Ju-Long how he could do that, how could he kill a man like that? He told me that the council wizard would have killed his family, and had to be stopped. I ask how can he kill them when they are already dead? Will all our visitors now die if they come to see us? Ju-Long would not answer. He went back to his books and his skeletons, while I hid in my room, afraid. When more council wizards arrived, they saw the first one's corpse where Ju-Long had left it, and knew they could not cross the barrier. They shouted out to Ju-Long, pleading with him to see reason. I begged him to let me go out and speak to them, but he refused. Thinking I meant to betray him, he took my wand while I slept, and tied me to a chair. The council wizards began conjuring spells to try and break through the barrier, and might have succeeded had Ju-Long not sent out his family of skeletons to stop them. The council wizards were able to destroy several of the skeletons, but they were too many for them, and they were also killed. I pointed out that the skeletons had not died when they crossed the barrier, indicating that they were still dead. Ju-Long would not listen."
"As the days passed, the red smoke began to grow, and smoke drifted across the countryside, while still encircling our house. I heard later that many crops, cattle, and people died because of that poisonous red fog Ju-Long had conjured but could not control. It rolled across the fields bringing death to all in it's path. More council wizards came out towards our house, followed by other great wizards, all trying to stop Ju-Long before more death could be caused. He sent out the skeletons, and they battled the wizards, who also had to try and stay away from the red smoke. This time, however, the skeletons lost. The lay broken on the ground, while wizards cast spells to keep them from coming to life again. When Ju-Long saw this, he became very angry, and went outside. He yelled at the wizards, telling them that he would not let them kill his ancestors. As he walked over the grass, a wizard shot out a killing curse, their only hope to stop the red smoke. Ju-Long fell to the ground dead, and the smoke began to clear away."
"They found me inside the house, tied to the chair, and questioned me for many hours. They wanted to know how I could let my husband do this? I told them, he was my husband, I did not let him do anything, he did what he wanted. How could I stop him? They treated me poorly, and said many bad things about me. I kept my head high, knowing there was nothing I could have done to stop him. I tried to live there at the house for awhile after it all happened while I tried to make other arrangements, but during one night, someone came to the house and set it on fire. If I had not awakened I would have died in that fire. Our large house, our beautiful things, all burned in the fire. I had no husband, no house. I had nothing left."
"After that, I traveled to Beijing. My family did not want me, and most of the wizarding folk in China had heard of me by then. No one would help me, no one would hire me. I tried selling potions for awhile, but I made very little. Then one day I met Mr. Yuan. He recognized me, and asked how I had been doing. I told him all that had happened, and he understood. He took me to his house and cared for me. He was so kind. We had a small but happy wedding. He is a good and kind man, and we are happy together."
Madam Yuan finished her tea, and set it on the saucer.
"And now you know all about me," she said, smiling. "Maybe one day you will tell me your story."
The Astronomy Tower by Moon110581
Chapter Notes: Fuzz-Head finds out secrets from the ghosts, and Warren visits with Madam Yuan