G. Lippert - James Potter and the Hall of the Elders' Crossing

James opened the door to his room and Ralph threw himself onto his cot. "So? I don't get it."

"Remember what I told you about the night I hid under the Invisibility Cloak and followed Dad and Professor Franklyn around? Franklyn told Dad that he should keep an eye on Professor Jackson. He said that Jackson was involved in the whole anti-Auror propaganda movement. Don't you see?"

Ralph frowned again, thinking hard. "I don't know. I can't believe Professor Jackson would be part of a plot to start a war against the Muggles. He's hardcore, but he seems cool."

"That's what I thought, too, but Ralph, you know what I think that thing in his case was? I think it was one of the relics! I think it was Merlin's robe! He's keeping it safe until he can get the rest of the relics together."

Ralph's eyes widened. "No!" he said in a low whisper. "Can't be! I mean, Professor Jackson…!"

"That's not all," James said, digging into his backpack. "Take a look at this." He pulled out the folded Daily Prophet that Zane had given him, the one with the cover story about the demonstration against Harry Potter's visit. "It's been in the bottom of my bag this whole time. I'd forgotten why I even kept it, but take a look at the article on the back." James tapped the article about the break-in at the Ministry of Magic and the strangely cursed thieves who had apparently not gotten around to stealing anything. Ralph read it slowly, then looked up at James, his eyes large.

"It says one of the places they broke into was the Department of Mysteries," he said. "You think these guys were looking for the Merlin throne?"

"Maybe," James admitted, thinking hard. "But I don't think so. I think they were hired as a diversion. It says none of them had much of a prior record, right? They couldn't have broken into the Ministry on their own. I think maybe they were just a distraction, riffling things around and playing a bit of havoc while someone else found the throne and got it out of there."

"But it says here nothing was stolen," Ralph said, glancing back at the article.

"Well, they wouldn't admit that the throne of Merlin had been taken, would they?" James replied. "I mean, that'd be a pretty scary bit of dark magic to admit had gone missing, what with all the stories of evil wizards trying to use the relics to bring back Merlin all these centuries past. Then again," he thought back to what Luna had told them, "if it had been stored in the vaults of the Department of Mysteries since the sixteen hundreds, maybe they didn't even know it was there anymore. How would they know if one item had gone missing from the place? Luna called them the 'endless vaults', didn't she?"

"So," Ralph said, still scanning the news article, "somebody hires these three goons to break in and make a mess of things, while the real thieves make off with the throne of Merlin. Then the real thieves curse these guys not to be able to talk, and set them up to take the fall. Right? Pretty sneaky. But still, where do you hide something like Merlin's throne? Don't powerful magical objects, especially dark ones, make a pretty noticeable imprint? I mean, your dad and his Aurors would've picked up on it somehow, wouldn't they?"

"Yeah," James agreed doubtfully, "they'd have to put it someplace either really far away from civilization or hide it under loads of Disillusionment Charms and Secrecy Spells. More than just any old witch or wizard could whip up. They'd need a place totally protected and absolutely secret, like…" He stopped, realization dawning on him. His mouth hung open and his eyes grew wider and wider.

"What?" Ralph finally asked. James glanced at him, and then grabbed the newspaper from him. He turned it around, examining the front page.

"That's it!" he said in a breathless whisper. "Look! The break-in happened the night before we arrived at school! Remember when we were on the boats crossing the lake for the first time? I saw somebody in a boat over by the lake's edge!"

"Yeah," Ralph said slowly, narrowing his eyes, "I guess. The next day, when the Americans arrived, you saw old Madame Delacroix and thought it'd been her. I thought you were being a bit of a nutter."

James ignored him and went on, "I decided it couldn't have been her, because the woman I'd seen on the lake had been a lot younger. Still, the resemblance had been pretty scary. You know where I saw that boat, though? It was over by where Zane and I found the island! The Grotto Keep! I think that was Madame Delacroix, after all!"

"How?" Ralph asked simply. "She didn't arrive until the next day."

James explained to Ralph what Professor Franklyn had revealed about Madame Delacroix at the dinner in the Alma Aleron's quarters. "It was her wraith," he concluded. "She projected herself to the lake, to that place on the island, using the ability Franklyn told us about. No wonder she was so mad when he explained that she could project a younger version of herself anywhere she wanted!"

Ralph seemed doubtful. "But why? What'd she want to be doing floating around in a boat on the lake?"

"Don't you see?" James exclaimed, trying to keep his voice low. "Whoever stole the Merlin throne would need to hide it in a place so secure and secret that nobody would ever sense it. What better place to hide it than right on the grounds of Hogwarts? Why create an ultra-powerful hiding place when one already exists and you're going to be there anyway? Madame Delacroix sent her wraith to the island that night to deliver the stolen throne. She's hiding it right on the Hogwarts grounds, there on the island. The Forbidden Forest is already so full of magic that the throne is probably just lost in the background noise to the wizards at the school. The Grotto Keep must be the hiding place!"

Ralph stared at James, biting his lips and wide-eyed. Finally he said, "Wow, that's so creepy it makes sense. So you think she's working with Jackson, then?"

"One way or another, they're in it together," James nodded.

"That stinks," Ralph said flatly. "I was really starting to like Professor Jackson. But still, what's the big deal, really? I mean, Luna said that it's impossible to bring Merlin back. She pretty much made it sound like anyone who thinks they can do it is right loony. Once dead, always dead. Why not let Delacroix and Jackson have their fantasies?"

James couldn't let it go. He shook his head. "I don't know about Delacroix, but Professor Jackson's smarter than that. He teaches Technomancy, doesn't he? He wouldn't fall for some crackpot scheme if he didn't think it'd work. Besides, everybody keeps talking about it as if Merlin had died. But Austramaddux doesn't say he died, does he? He just left the world of men."

Ralph shrugged. "Whatever. Seems pretty dodgy to me." He flopped backwards onto the cot.

"Come on, Ralph!" James said, tossing the old newspaper onto him. "They're trying to bring Merlin back so they can start a war with the Muggles! It's up to us to stop it!"

Ralph rolled onto his side and furrowed his brow at James. "What do you mean? Your dad's Head Auror. If you're really worried about it, tell him about it. It's his job to stop things like this, isn't it? What're we going to do, anyway?"

James was exasperated. "We can try to stop them! Nobody will believe us if we tell them now. We can try to capture the relics ourselves. If we do that, then we'll at least have proof!"

Ralph continued to stare at James. After a minute he spoke. "Don't you think you might be making a bit much of this? I mean, I understand wanting to follow in your dad's footsteps and all, trying to save the world and be the hero…"

"Shut up, Ralph," James said, suddenly angry. "You don't know what you're talking about."

Ralph rolled onto his back. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry." James knew that, after their earlier fight, Ralph was sensitive not to say anything too argumentative.