Basilisk Eyes

Chapter 141: Disgorging staff

"What's this?" Aminah asked. "Oh, my book?"

"Oh, right! Sir Nicolas asked me to return it to you. He said that he removed the dark magic from it and it is safe. He said that Madam Flamel would tell you more about it today in our braille lesson."

"I'm kind of scared to open it again."

"Sir Nicolas said that it is totally clean now and you don't have to worry about it."

"Mum, can you tell me what Gemma is saying? I'm not nearly as good at signing as Harry is."

Gemma waited patiently while Aminah's mum came closer to them and asked Gemma to repeat what she'd said. Harry kept his fingers lightly resting on Gemma's hands while she signed to get a sense of what she was saying. When Aminah's mum read the slips of paper generated by Gemma's signs, Harry was pleased that he had gotten the gist of her comment right.

"She says that she picked it up last night and didn't feel the zing of magic that she'd felt that night she was pulled into it. Oh, honey. That's right. Aminah was telling me about that awful experience. I'm surprised you were brave enough to hold that book again after what happened to you!"

"Mum, I can't hear the papers rattling... did you cast the writing charm so Gemma can understand you?"

"Oh, right. What's that spell again?"

They helped Aminah's mom cast the Scribunt loqui spell and she repeated a version of what she'd said. Harry's stomach rumbled—the bangers and eggs aromas filling the room were just goading his hunger.

"Was that your stomach?" Aminah asked.

Gemma signed "What?" as Harry laughed and admitted, "Yes, your breakfast smells heavenly."

"You two should head on to the dining hall. Don't let us keep you," Aminah's mum said.

"Thanks for checking on me and bringing the book. I'm doing loads better today than I was yesterday. Just knowing that we're this close to finding my dad... when I was beginning to think that he was lost to us forever... well, it makes a world of difference."

Gemma hugged Aminah again and as they left through the herb garden Harry could hear Aminah's mum commenting on how sweet her friends were and how glad she was that she had people who were looking out for her as roommates. Harry paused a second so he could tell Gemma what he heard because he felt that it wasn't really fair that Gemma couldn't hear it when it was mostly about her, then they followed the tantalizing aromas of breakfast to the dining hall.

oO0OooO0OooO0OooO0Oo

Because the Egresses were still closed off (all except the Flamel's), his morning session with Ms. Midgeon was taking place in a room that Harry hadn't been in before... he hadn't even heard of the room, which had a funny name—it was called the Moody room. It made him wonder what they'd be doing in there.

Gemma had gone with Peter to help him find something that he'd misplaced (Gemma told Harry what it was, but he didn't understand the sign and she rushed off before he could ask), so Harry was trying to find the room on his own. He had located it on the tactile map in the corridor outside the Mount Blanc room, and was now in the corridor beyond the kitchens trying to find the room. But his staff had just stopped giving directions.

"Navigant Moody room," Harry asked his staff. It was strangely silent in his aftí. He shook it and tried again. "Navigant Moody Room!" He squeezed it three times to get a description of the area. Nothing.

The hairs on the back of Harry's neck stood on end as he realized that there was a strange lack of magical pulse going through his staff. It felt dull and unresponsive in his hand. He flicked out his wand and tried the Navigant spell on it. It felt as though it were just a stick, nothing more. No magic thrummed through the wood. There was no connection. Harry resisted an urge to throw it away from him and made the motion to snap it back into place in his holster, but it clattered to the floor.