Basilisk Eyes

Chapter 70: Meeting Arig

When Harry, Gemma, and Aminah entered Montmorency after visiting Hedwig in the owlery and delivering the bits of cookie Gemma had given Harry for Hedwig, Gemma stopped suddenly, causing both Harry and Aminah to stumble.

"What's going on, Gemma?" Harry asked.

She didn't answer, but stood still. Harry assumed that she couldn't see his note. Harry strained his ears trying to figure out what was wrong. He tapped her arm to try to get her attention, but she held his hand still as if she wanted him to be quiet. He turned to Aminah, "Any idea what's going on?"

"No idea," responded Aminah.

Harry let go of Gemma's arm and shook out his staff. "Mei, Tony? Are you in here?" Harry asked.

No answer.

"That's weird," Harry said.

He squeezed his staff to get a description of the room. And then he understood what was going on. "Aminah, use your staff to get a description of the room," he whispered.

"Oh!"

Gemma seemed to reanimate and had reached for Harry's hand.

"C-H-A-N-G-E-D " space " R-O-O-M."

Harry nodded. He was still listening to his staff and tapped his aftí to let Gemma know.

After a bit, Aminah said, "So our room has been rearranged? There's an extra area, too, right? Like we have a new roommate?"

"Yeah, I think so. It's bigger and there is more room for each of us. We have four-poster beds now, like at Hogwarts, with curtains and there is a wall around Mei's tank so that I don't get splashed anymore if that's my area next to hers. I'm not sure, actually."

Gemma had left them and Harry could hear her moving the Mami Wata necklaces.

"Maybe we can Navigant to our area? See if the staff knows?" Aminah suggested.

"Seems like they could have warned us," Harry grumbled.

"Yeah, what if we got into the wrong bed?" Aminah said.

"That'd be awkward!" Harry agreed.

As Harry stepped forward and swung his staff, Healer Jordan's voice spoke in his aftí, "Harry, we have rearranged your room to accommodate a new student who is arriving tonight and starting tomorrow. We expanded the room as well as we heard feedback from students that it was a little cramped. The new student's space was added to the left of Aminah's space. We also added privacy curtains on all the beds and a wall between your space and Mei's to prevent water splashing into your area from her tank. You can use your staff to describe the new layout and direct you to your space. Please make our new resident welcome. His name is Arig Gurgisya."

"Oh, did you get that message, too? Aminah?" Harry asked.

"What mess-... Oh," Aminah answered.

Gemma came back and took Harry's hand to write on it, " M-E-S-S-A-G-E " space " H-J-? ".

He nodded.

She tapped his hand for sighted guide, but he shook his head, "No, thanks. It's okay. I'll use my staff."

She tapped his hand twice and went to Aminah, he guessed, to ask the same thing.

As he Navigant'd to his new area, he wondered what Mei thought of the wall between their spaces. He gathered from the description that it was not something that could be seen through, so Mei had a bit more privacy than the other students now. He wondered how she'd handle the change.